A 19 year old girl, who has been subjected to physical torture for over seven months allegedly by her father and stepmother, was rescued by Police with the help of an NGO on Tuesday evening. She was sent to a hospital for medical examination and a case was registered against both the accused.
Bearing acid burn injuries over her face and all over the body, the victim, Pratyusha, told Police that she was being mercilessly inflicted the suffering on a daily basis.
In her complaint, Pratyusha informed Police that her parents used to throw acid on her, make her drink toilet cleaners, snub a cigarette on her body, and even beat her with an iron rod. For over seven months, she told Police, she was subjected to physical harassment by her father Ramesh and stepmother Chamundeshwari alias Shyamala at their house in LB Nagar in Hyderabad.
Pratyusha is the only daughter of Ramesh and Sarala whose 12 years long married life ended in 2003. She had dropped out of school after 6th class due to family issues. She had been staying with Sarala ever since, and after mother’s death in 2010, Pratyusha was sent to an orphanage in the city by a maternal uncle.
According to Police, Ramesh later married Chamundeshwari in 2008. “The couple did not have any children. So, in December 2014, he went to the orphanage and brought back her daughter to their house," said inspector E Srinivas Reddy of LB Nagar Police.
Further he added that the teenager was made to do all household works by her stepmother who would find faults with her and punish her. "She has given a statement that since last seven months she was tortured and subjected to physical harassment by her stepmother and father. She alleged that acid was thrown on her face and she was beaten up with hot rod almost on a daily basis. The girl has now been rescued and sent to the hospital in view of injuries to her face and other parts of the body," Reddy added.
LB Nagar Police registered a case under sections 342 (wrongful confinement), 326 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt) and 307(attempt to murder) against Chamundeshwari alias Shyamala and Ramesh and has started investigation. The stepmother was taken into custody where as the father, who is a Junior Telecom Officer in BSNL, is absconding.