Couple chained granddaughter, 11, to pole and beat her with sticks 'for her own safety'
An elderly couple from Buriram province, northeast Thailand has admitted to chaining their 11-year-old granddaughter to a pole and beating her with sticks to 'keep her safe' and inside the house.
The spine-chilling act of the couple came into the spotlight after a heart-wrenching video capturing the girl with chains on her legs was posted on social media platforms by a local man of their village.
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In no time, the video captured the attention of Buriram social services as well as Lam Plai Mat Police Station, who rushed to the house of the elderly couple where they spotted the girl chained to the pole.
Following the arrival of the officers, the young girl, identified as A, told officials that her grandmother and grandfather, who raised her since she was a baby, chain her up and beat her with a stick every time she wanted to go out with her friends. She informed police that her grandparents not just strangled her, but also threatened her to bring red ants to bite her if she tried to open the chain or leave the house.
In their defense, the elderly couple admitted they chain her up but only for her safety. They said A is stubborn and continuously runs away from home and sometimes in the dark.
The couple revealed they started chaining her after she once sneaked out of the house and was allegedly raped by a 45-year-old man named Love. The couple said Love tricked her by taking her to buy sweets before raping her.
Chor Wanitklang, a local roast chicken merchant, told police he had witnessed A being punished and chained up by her grandparents many times due to her stubbornness and the fact she "does not obey them". Chor said he initially didn’t want to interfere as it was their family matter but when he saw the girl crying, he asked his son to make a video of the girl and post it on social media.
In a statement to local media, the local social services revealed that they are going to take strict actions against Love and will ensure that A is not treated like this again.
However, this is not the first time reports of human being strangled in Thailand has came out. Earlier this year, a 17-year-old girl admitted that she strangled her grandmother at their home in Muang district, dumped her body on the roadside with the help of her boyfriend.