Ex-judge allegedly had pregnant daughter-inlaw thrown into river

Mangalore Today/ DHNS

Cuttack, May 9:  A retired judicial magistrate, his wife and son were among four persons arrested on Wednesday on the charge of torturing his pregnant daughter-in-law and throwing her into a river with her hands and legs tied when she refused to abort her baby. The fourth person arrested allegedly masterminded the attack.

 

The arrests were made following the statement by the woman, who was admitted in the Intensive Care Unit of the SCB Medical College Hospital, Cuttack Deputy Commissioner of Police Pravin Kumar told reporters. Her condition is now stable.

The woman, in her early 30s, was found by morning walkers near the spur of Mahanadi barrage in Cuttack on Tuesday with wounds on her head and with her hands and legs tied with a rubber tube.

They reported the matter to the police, who rescued her.

Pravin Kumar said the judge’s family had hired goons to throw the woman into the river after intoxicating her.

The police have launched a manhunt to nab the goons, who allegedly took Rs. 3.5 lakh from the judge for the crime.

The woman, who is about 20 weeks pregnant, in her statement said she was married to the judge’s son about five years ago. However, the in-laws wanted her to abort the baby so that they could arrange a second marriage for their son.

However, some reports suggest that she was working as a housemaid in the retired judge’s house and was allegedly sexually abused by his lawyer son. When the lawyer’s family realised she was pregnant, they asked her to terminate the pregnancy as they were unwilling to accept her as their possible daughter-in-law.

She said she was taken to a private hospital in Bhubaneswar on Sunday evening for terminating her pregnancy.

The clinic they approached reportedly refused to carry on the procedure after which they allegedly plotted to have her killed. As per the woman’s statement, she had refused to go through with the abortion.

Police investigation found that she resided with the retired judge’s family at Chandrasekharpur area of Bhubaneswar, which corroborates with the statement.

A medical examination of the judge’s son has been done to check if he is the father of the unborn baby.  Reports of the tests are awaited.