Husband threw acid on wife as she refused to let his friends gang rape her after he lost a bet: Police
A gambling addict reportedly threw acid on his wife after she refused to let his friends gangrape her after he lost a bet, police said The 36-year-old man from Hassanganj, Bihar in India, who has not been identified, sent his 30-year-old wife of 10 years to his friends to be raped on multiple occasions since October, according to police. The woman, however, refused and as a consequence, was held hostage by her husband who beat her and eventually threw acid over her when she resisted being raped on Saturday, December 12, investigators have alleged. The man was promptly arrested by police on charges of acid attack, gang rape, domestic violence, and wrongful confinement.
Police officer Rajesh Kumar Jha, while speaking to the Independent, said: "The couple was married for about 10 years. Her husband was into gambling and he lost her in a bet in late October. After that, he would send her to the gamblers against her wishes, where the men would rape her. If she ever resisted the sexual exploitation, her husband would beat her and hold her hostage."
Reports state that before her initial refusal, the survivor was previously gang-raped by the group on October 28. All the perpetrators involved in the case have not been identified in an effort to protect the survivor's identity. The police were alerted of the attack after the woman escaped and went to her parents' house in another village the day after the assault.
She was taken to the police station on Sunday, December 13, by social activist Deepal Singh. The attack was then reported to Bhagalpur SSP Ashish Bharti. The survivor reportedly told the authorities that her husband used to torture her because she could not have children. The woman was also medically assessed, and an investigation into the case is currently ongoing.
The attack on the woman has come at a time when domestic violence incidents have drastically increased amidst the coronavirus lockdown in the country. According to the National Commission for Women, gender-based violence in India has nearly doubled from the start of the year. The latest government statistics state that Bihar ranks 14th among Indian states for domestic violence in 2019 with about 2,300 reported cases in total. The National Crime Records Bureau's data states that an average of nearly 90 rapes were reported in India every day last year, and a large number of similar incidents are generally not reported.
A few months ago, in a gruesome case of sexual assault, a 12-year-old girl was allegedly raped by her three minor cousins over a period of five months, according to an ANI report. The incident occurred in the Navsari district of Gujarat in India. The alleged crime came to light after the minor was admitted to a hospital following a stomach ache and a medical examination revealed that she was four months pregnant. Navsari Deputy Superintendent of Police BS Mori told the outlet, "The minor was raped by one of her cousins when she was alone at home. Later he told this to two other cousins who also allegedly raped her after threatening her not to disclose the matter to her mother. All the accused are below 18 years."