MUMBAI: When a teenage girl quietly slipped a letter to her school teacher last week, the latter had no idea that it was not a simple request for leave, but a desperate plea for help. For, in the letter, the child had written that her father had been raping her, and that her mother, who had witnessed these sexual assaults, did nothing to help her.

It was after receiving this letter that the teacher approached a local NGO in Vashi, who helped register a rape case against the pervert parents. The horrifying ordeal came to light when the 13-year-old, a Std VII student, gave the letter to her teacher last week. 'My father raped me and my mother is not helping', it read.

The shattered teacher uttered not a word, threw away the note fearing someone would read it, and promptly informed a local NGO, who helped the girl register a case with the Vashi police. The FIR was registered on Monday night against both the parents.

Serial rapes

Police said the girl's 45-year-old father is a fruit vendor. In her statement to the cops, the girl said, "My father raped me in front of my mother. After this, my mother would then offer me some pills. He has been raping me since I was seven years old.

Despite complaining to my mother, she refused to help me." Police sources said they are investigating if the pills were to prevent pregnancy. The survivor has an elder sister, an elder brother, and two younger brothers. She has alleged that the rapes would happen when her siblings were not at home.

"Whenever my brothers weren't at home, my father would take advantage of the opportunity and rape me inside my house, in front of my mother. I had complained to my mother several times, but she never helped me," she told the police. The teen told the cops she had also confided in her 17-year-old sister.

Police said the elder sister doesn't stay with the family, and the girl has said she, too, has been a victim of the father's sexual assault. The girl also said in her statement that she had brought up the matter before her neighbours, but they refused to intervene and suggested that she approach the cops herself.

Police said the girl was able to muster courage after receiving a counselling session at school. A police officer from Vashi police station, requesting anonymity, said, "A few NGOs have been delivering counselling sessions on child sexual abuse at several schools in Navi Mumbai, during which she realised that she should speak up against her parents."

Police have questioned the survivor's mother, who has refuted her daughter's charges. The woman claimed she came to know about the sexual assaults only a fortnight ago, after which she scolded her husband and asked him to stay away from the teenager. The girl is now put up at a children's home owned by the NGO.

Cop speak

Both the parents have been booked under Section 376 (rape) of the Indian Penal Code, along with Section 5(L)(N) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012. However, only the father has been arrested till now. He was produced at a Thane court yesterday and remanded to police custody till tomorrow (July 23).

Deputy Commissioner of Police Shahaji Umap (Navi Mumbai Zone I) confirmed the incident, and said, "We have arrested the father, but are investigating as to what exact role her mother had to play. The survivor has told us that her mother has offered her some medicine.

We will verify what medicines were given to her. Once these details are confirmed, we will arrest the mother too." Police sources believe these medicines were contraceptive pills, which the mother offered to her daughter to avoid pregnancy.

Hyderabad: Prathyusha, the 19-year-old girl who had been tortured by her father and stepmother, was supposed to inherit property worth lakhs when she turned 18.

However, her stepmother Shyamala and father Ch. Ramesh told her that she would only get the property at the time of her wedding. The couple then began torturing the girl and mutilated her so that she could not get married, said her relatives.

Since Pratyusha’s mother Sarala had committed suicide after her divorce with her father, and her grandparents were dead, Ramesh was given her custody. However, Shyamala manipulated him too as she wanted the property for herself.

Pratyusha’s aunt Saikumari, Sarala’s elder sister, said, “A two-bedroom flat at Padmaraonagar is entitled to Prathyusha as per the agreement. And Shyamala wanted it.” She said that she was not allowed to visit Prathyusha.

Shyamala had also tried to portray the victim as mentally challenged in order to stop her wedding. “She mutilated the girl in every possible way, and wanted to portray the victim as mentally challenged. She also did not allow her to eat and asked her to commit suicide if she wanted to escape the torture,” said a child rights activist.

Meanwhile, the LB Nagar police is still searching for Ramesh, who is absconding. Shyamala has been sent to judicial remand for attempt to murder.

“We have launched a search for her father, who has also been booked for attempt to murder, torture and wrongful confinement,” said the investigation official from LB Nagar police station. Doctors said the girl was recovering but has health issues apart from her injuries.

Sulya: In a heinous act, the father assaulted daughter his own daughter sexually has been arrested by the cops on Sunday in Enmur.

The resident of Enmur is the accused of sexually exploiting his own daughter. His daughter is studying in high school. He also thrashed his wife for raising question on his act. The cops have arrested him on a complaint by wife of the accused.

Moodabidri: A case has been filed against a father and his three daughters in connection with abusing and threatening a woman.

It is said that Mahantesh a resident of Subashnagar in Kotebagilu was having an argument with his mother at his house on Sunday May 31.

The neighbourer Ravi Devadiga heard of this fight and presumed that the mother and the son are abusing him. He entered the courtyard of Mahantesh and abused his mother, it is said.

The argument snowballed into physical fight between Mahantesh and Ravi. Ravi’s three daughters also joined the fight. A case has been filed in Moodabidri police station regarding the incident.  

Beltangady:  Ramanna Poojary, father of Bhagyahree who was charred to death at her house ended his life on Monday June 1.

Bhagyashree (18), a resident of Kukrabettu under Marody village municipality limits had died in a fire incident at her house on April 6,2015.

Bhagyashree, who was studying in a college in Moodabidri had come to her home in holidays. It was alleged that she had committed suicide due to love failure, and her cousin Guruprasad was arrested in this regard. A death note was found in Bhagyashree’s room but it was later came to light that Guruprasad had planted this death note putting the blame on a relative.

Bhagyashree's parents have been reportedly saying that the fire which killed her was accidental and were not convinced with the suicide theory put forward by the police.

Sources said that on Sunday May 31, a ritual was held in the house in connection to Bhagyashree's demise, during which Ramanna expressed his dissatisfaction with the probe. Later his body was found hanging in the house. Locals said that this might have forced Ramanna to take the extreme step.

Agra: Fathers are responsible for increasing population in India. Because, they produce 9-10 children, but don’t afford to give them good education. As a result children don’t get good education which in turn makes them suffer in life. Under educated, poor men marry early and again start producing children. The cycle continues.

If you think some studies have found this or an expert said these words, you are wrong. This was the explanation given by a 10th standard student. And what surprising more is this was the answer he had written on his science papers during final examination.

The incident happened in Agra. When the evaluators read this paper they laughed falling on the ground. But at the same time they agreed though the student cannot be given marks for his answer as per rules, somewhere he is right. He has a broad thinking that is not just limited to text books or this might be his own experience they add.

 

 

Belthangady: A father and son was killed in a ghastly road accident near Benaka hospital, Ujire here on Monday April 20.

The deceased have been identified as Dinesh (48) and his son Abhishek (22), residents of Gandhinagar in Laila.

Painters by profession Dinesh and Abhishek was returning to their duty after having lunch at home. Eye witnesses say that while the deceased were riding the bike near Benaka hospital another bike smashed their bike. As a result both Dinesh and Abhishek was thrown on the road.  

At that moment, a sand laden lorry plying from Mangaluru to bengaluru which was passing by at a high speed ran over them, dragging their bike along. 

Both were rushed to hospital, where Dinesh was declared brought dead. Abhishek breathed his last while being shifted to a hospital in Mangaluru.

The other bike rider who hit the duo escaped from the spot. His identity is not known.

Belthangady police have registered a case.

Gujarat: An impoverished father has revealed that he plans to sell his own kidney to fund life-saving treatment for his three morbidly-obese children.

Sisters Yogita Rameshbhai Nandwana, five, and Anisha, three, and their 18-month-old brother Harsh, are among the world's heaviest young children.

Weighing 5st 5lbs (34kg), 7st 8lbs (48kg) and 2st 5lbs (15kg) respectively, the food they eat in a week is enough to feed two families in a month.

Now their father Rameshbhai Nandwana, 34, of Gurjarat, India, is planning to sell his kidney to earn the money needed to see top specialists.

He said: ‘If my kids continue to grow at this rapid rate they will have major health issues. We’re terrified they will die.’

Yogita and Anisha eat 18 chapatis, 3lbs of rice, two bowls of broth, six packets of crisps, five packs of biscuits, 12 bananas and a litre of milk daily.

And their extreme hunger means their mother Pragna Ben, 30, spends most of her day making their meals.

She said: ‘My day starts with making 30 chapatis and 1kg vegetable curry in the morning. After that I am again in the kitchen preparing more food.

‘Their hunger never stops. They demand food all the time and cry and scream if they’re not fed. I am always in the kitchen cooking for them.’

The couple have one older daughter, Bhavika, six, who weighs an average 2st 7lbs (16kg), and do not know why their other three children are so big.

Mr Nandwana said: ‘When Yogita was born she was extremely weak and weighed just 1.5kg (3.3lbs). We were worried for her health. 

'So we fed her a lot during the first year of her life to build her strength but by her first birthday she had bloated to 12kg (1st 12lbs).

Our third daughter Anisha also gained weight in similar fashion and by her first birthday she was 15kg.

‘But we only realised they were suffering from a disorder when our son Harsh was born as he too gained weight quickly during his first year.

'We started looking for medical help and consulted many doctors but they would just refer us to bigger hospitals that I couldn’t afford.’

Mr Nandwana earns just Rs 3000 (£35) a month - but usually has sufficient money to buy enough food to fulfil the large appetite of his children.

He said: ‘I am a daily wage labour and I usually get paid Rs 100 a day but there are times when there is no work at all.

‘I work in fields, dig wells, and do whatever menial job I can find to earn money. 

'And I’m constantly worried about finding the money to feed my continually hungry children.’

Despite his paltry income, Mr Nandwana spends about Rs 10,000 (£110) a month on food for his children and said he 'cannot leave them starving'