A 16-year-old domestic worker was allegedly tortured for six months and starved by an army officer and his wife in Assam's Dima Hasao district. The couple has been arrested, police said on Tuesday.
The accused identified as Major Shailendra Yadav and his wife Kimmy Ralson were taken into custody on Monday.
Dima Hasao SP Mayank Kumar told IANS that the victim had been "working with the family for the last two years, and during this period, she was subjected to severe physical abuse. She became ill, and then Kimmy Ralson handed her to her family.”
Recounting the horrific incident, the minor victim was quoted as saying to NDTV, "She (Kimmy Ralson) kept me locked me in a room, pulled my hair, and beat me. She was angry with my efficiency in household chores and beat me with a belan (rolling pin). She would strip me. She would beat me, and when I bled, she forced me to lick my own blood."
The girl's mother told the media she could barely recognize her when she came home. "The victim was only 16 but appeared like an elderly woman. She had broken teeth and burn marks on her face. Her ears were mutilated and had difficulty in speaking," she said, as reported by NDTV.
A case has been registered at the Haflong Police Station under different sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the SC & ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, and the Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences (POSCO) Act.
According to the police, the minor girl and her family were threatened not to register a case. However, someone posted the details of the horrific condition of the minor on social media.
The couple were subsequently arrested and further probe is underway, police said.
Meanwhile, a section of local women protested outside the Haflong police station on Monday, demanding punishment for the accused couple.
(With IANS inputs)