NOIDA: A 22-year-old
pregnant woman was held hostage and tortured for three days in the basement of a building by her husband and in-laws after her family failed to meet their dowry demand in Noida’s Chhalera village in Sector 44. The woman, who is five-months pregnant, was found with her hands tied behind her back and mouth taped when the police team arrived on Saturday night. She has been admitted to Kailash Hospital’s intensive care unit.
The woman,
Shweta Chauhan, a resident of Sector 49, had married Gaurav in Chhalera village in December 2017. Gaurav, who runs an e-rickshaw battery charger unit in
Sadarpur village had reportedly called Shweta’s father Pawan Chauhan and told him that on Thursday night Shweta had left the house and went missing.
Her family members launched a search in the neighbourhood but failed to trace her. Next morning, the family filed a missing complaint at Sector 39 police station. The police team questioned her husband and in-laws but their statements were not coherent. The police also launched a search but could not trace her.
On Saturday night, the police raided Gaurav's Sadarpur accommodation and conducted an inspection of the premises. They found the victim lying in the basement, her face down, and hands tied behind her back with a wire.
Arun Kumar Singh, SP (city) Noida said the victim’s father-in-law Charan Singh, mother-in-law Babli Devi and sister-in-law Moni were arrested. Her husband and another sister-in-law, Simmi, managed to escape.
A case for dowry harassment has been registered against all the five accused at Sector 39 police station. “The three accused were produced in court and sent to judicial custody. We have launched a search to arrest the absconding accused,” Singh said.
Representative image