Showing fake talaq letter, neighbour rapes woman on pretext of marriage

A woman claimed that she was raped by her neighbour in Jaspur town of Uttarakhand’s Udham Singh Nagar district on the pretext of marriage after showing her a fake letter that stated that her husband had given her triple talaq from Saudi Arabia, police said.

After her husband returned, the 26-year-old woman knew that he had not divorced her through triple talaq. When she told her husband that their 22-year-old neighbour Danish had sexually assaulted her, he refused to accept her as his wife and gave her triple talaq, police said.

Five days ago, she approached the local court after Jaspur police refused to lodge her complaint against Danish. On court orders the police registered a case against the rape accused on Thursday.

“As the matter was serious, we were verifying the claims of the woman. After the court orders, a case has been registered against accused Danish on Thursday and investigations are on,” said sub-inspector Sushil Kumar, the in-charge of Jaspur police station. “We have taken her statements on Saturday. No arrests have been made so far.”

The woman, a mother of three children, said she was married about 10 years ago. “Two years ago, my husband decided to go to Saudi Arabia for work so that our income could increase, as we both used to do labour work to earn bread for the family,” she said. “Danish who lives in our neighbourhood was known to us and used to come to our house often.”

The woman said Danish came to her a year ago with a hand-written letter, which, he claimed, was sent by her husband from Saudi Arabia.

“He (Danish) said my husband has given me triple talaq in the letter. As I am illiterate, I couldn’t read the letter. But I didn’t believe it, so I asked him to call my husband. My husband used to call on Danish’s mobile number from Saudi whenever he wanted to speak to me because I don’t have a mobile phone,” she said.

“Instead of dialling my husband’s number, he called to one of his friends who said talaq three times on phone and cut the call. It made me believe that he (my husband) gave me triple talaq.”

The woman claimed Danish promised to marry her and raped her many times in the last one year. She came to know that the letter was fake after her husband returned from Saudi Arabia.

“I then realised what Danish did with me and narrated my ordeal to him. My husband got angry and gave me triple talaq by saying that he cannot accept me after what I have done,” the woman said. “Broken, I went to Danish to accept me, but he and his family members assaulted me and ousted me from their house,” she said.

When contacted, victim’s husband confirmed that he gave her triple talaq. “After what has happened, I could not have accepted her. I gave her triple talaq and asked her to leave my family. Both she and Danish have to suffer for what they have done,” he said.

The woman earns her living by cleaning dishes at others’ houses. “I am now helpless and do not know what to do,” she said.