Bihar man bets wife in gambling; forces her to be raped by friends after losing

The victim sustained burn injuries but was held captive by her in-laws' at a house in Mozahidpur. The shocking incident came to light after the victim escaped and her father lodged a complaint.

In what can be called a spine-chilling incident, a man in Bihar's Bhagalpur district bets his wife in gambling, 'loses' her and then allows his friends to rape her. What can be more horrendous than what's already one of the worst crimes against human rights? The man later pours acid on his wife for her "purification."

Rajesh Kumar Jha, Station House Officer (SHO) of Mozahidpur Police Station, said the accused Sonu Harijan had been arrested and FIR lodged against him on Sunday evening. "Due to the sensitivity of the incident, we have immediately registered an FIR and arrested the accused. Further investigation is underway and other accused will be arrested if they are found to be involved in this case."

Crime against women bengaluru lockdown — The Bengaluru police women helpline has reported a sharp decline in calls pertaining to crimes against women.Representational Image

In the statement given to the police, the accused pleaded to have lost such a bet about a month ago. As per the "arrangement," the woman was to be handed over to the men who won the bet for a month but the woman refused to comply and resisted.

"We are studying the statement of the victim and have arrested the accused. He has confessed to having lost his wife in a gambling bet and also forced to have sexual relations with his gambler friends," Jha further said.

The victim sustained serious burn injuries but her in-laws held her captive in a house in Mozahidpur to prevent the incident from coming to light. They gave her primary medical treatment. It wasn't until Sunday when the woman managed to escape from her in-laws' house that the incident came to light. The woman reached her father's residence and narrated the shocking details.

Human rights violations of the worst kind

As per the latest report by NCRB (National Crime Reports Bureau), 2019 saw over 4 lakh reported cases of crimes committed against women. A dismal number which has been steadily going up. The report also said there were 32,033 reported cases of rape, which roughly translates to 88 rape cases a day.

Not the first shocking incident of its kind

In what can be called an equally dreadful incident, last year, a UP man addicted to alcohol and gambling, 'lost' his wife in a gambling bet and allowed his friends to gang-rape her. The incident took place in Jaunpur district and the victim went to court when the police refused to lodge a complaint.