UP Gambler Puts Wife At Stake; Lets Friends Sexually Assault Her

A man in Rampur, Uttar Pradesh, allegedly gambled his wife, let his friends sexually assault her, and then beat her up when she fled to her mother's house, police said on September 11. The woman told NDTV that the man lost much of their assets to gambling and eventually put her at stake. He and his father had also been abusing her for dowry over the last 10 years of their marriage, the mother-of-three said. Rampur Superintendent of Police, Vidyasagar Mishra, said a case has been registered and investigations are underway.

Wife's Testimony

The woman, whose identity has not been disclosed, told NDTV that she got married in 2013, since when she had been physically abused and tortured by her husband and father-in-law over dowry. Moreover, he gambled and lost many of their valuable possessions.

The Shahdab police station area resident said, "My husband has lost 12 bighas (about seven acres) of land and all my jewellery while gambling and also put me at stake with his friends. I protested and called the 112 women's helpline, but he ran away when the police came."

She said that the man's friends sexually assaulted her. "He didn't even let me have water and assaulted me while his friends were present. I went to my mother's house and, on September 4, he came here with his friends, broke my finger and tried to drag me home."

She continued, "He tore my clothes, thrashed me, and let his friends have their way with me. They fled when our neighbours gathered. I can't even begin to tell you what they did to me. I will reveal it all in court. I want action to be taken against him and his friends."

Similar Case In Bihar

In a similarly shocking case in December 2020, a man in Bihar's Bhagalpur reportedly let his wife be raped after losing a bet and threw acid on her, saying he wanted to "purify" her. The man, Sonu Mahajan, also physically abused her when she resisted the assault and locked her up in the house.

The wife, whose name is confidential, eventually escaped and fled to her father's house in Lodipur, after which a police complaint was filed. According to the reports, Rajesh Kumar Jha, SHO of Mojahidpur police station told the media that Sonu was arrested and an FIR was registered against him.