Sipu Jha
VADODARA: A 40-year-old woman was allegedly raped repeatedly by her father-in-law and her sister-in-law’s husband, ostensibly to get her pregnant because her husband’s sperm count was too low.After suffering a miscarriage, the woman lodged an FIR at Navapura police station accusing her father-in-law and sister-in-law’s husband of rape and sexual harassment. She also accused her husband of blackmailing her into silence with the threat of making intimate pictures of her public.
In her FIR, the victim stated that she married in Feb 2024 and moved into her husband’s house. A few weeks later, her in-laws told her that she may not be able to get pregnant due to her age and suggested that the couple get fertility treatment.
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Medical reports showed that her husband’s sperm count was too low and thus she wouldn’t be able to get pregnant. She underwent in vitro fertilization (IVF) based on medical advice, but it wasn’t fruitful. She then refused to undergo any further treatment and suggested adopting a child, but her in-laws didn’t agree. In July 2024, when she was asleep in her room, her father-in-law entered and allegedly raped her. When she shouted for help, he slapped her. When she told her husband about the ordeal, he said he wanted a child and told her to keep mum about the rape. He also allegedly told her that if she spoke of the rape to anyone, he would circulate nude images of her. She stated that she was raped several times by her father-in-law but didn’t get pregnant. In Dec 2024, her sister-in-law’s husband raped her. He too allegedly repeated the crime several times. The complainant got pregnant in June, but suffered a miscarriage in July. In the last week of July, she approached the police. Police carried out a preliminary inquiry and on Sunday registered an FIR.(The victim’s identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme court directives on cases related to sexual assault)
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