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Husband cuts off his wife’s nose because she couldn’t afford to pay a marriage dowry in India

Kamlesh Rathore, 25, was beaten for years by her husband before he finally hacked off her nose over unpaid debt

A woman has been left scarred for life after her husband allegedly hacked off her nose while she was cooking him dinner.

Kamlesh Rathore, 25, from Utter Pradesh, northern India, claims she was attacked by husband Sanjeev Rathore, 27, who was demanding £550 for the payment of a marriage dowry.

 Kamlesh Rathore, 25, claims she was attacked by her husband while cooking dinner
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Kamlesh Rathore, 25, claims she was attacked by her husband while cooking dinnerCredit: Cover Asia Press
 Kamlesh was pinned down as her nose was hacked off
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Kamlesh was pinned down as her nose was hacked offCredit: Cover Asia Press

The couple were married eight years ago but the husband has yet to see the cash for the dowry.

Under Indian custom a dowry is a gift of cash, jewellery or land that the bride’s family gives to the groom as a condition of their marriage.

Kamlesh claims she has been harassed by her husband for the cash before he eventually lost patience and savagely attacked her.

“He was constantly demanding 50,000 [rupees]," she said.

"I repeatedly told him that my father is very poor and he cannot afford such an amount but he did not listen and used to threaten me that he’ll chop off my nose. He has beaten me for years. He’s used belts, slippers, sticks and has always tortured me."

Kamlesh claims that Sanjeev carried out the brutal attack on September 14 as she cooked dinner – and was pinned down by her in-laws as her angry husband hacked off her nose - and then took it away with him.

"They all grabbed me tightly. I could not move.” she said.

“And then out of nowhere I saw a knife and he chopped off my nose’, Kamlesh said.

After the attack, Kamlesh was reportedly rushed to a nearby health centre.

 The argument was over an unpaid £500 dowry
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The argument was over an unpaid £500 dowryCredit: Cover Asia Press
 Husband Sanjeev Rathore, 27, and his family are being hunted by police
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Husband Sanjeev Rathore, 27, and his family are being hunted by policeCredit: Cover Asia Press

Sanjeev’s family are now being hunted by police after they went on the run following the attack, the reports.

Kamlesh’s older brother Sachin, 26, said: ‘My sister’s husband has been very cruel. He has given her a terrible life and now this. He even took her nose and gifted it to the gods at his temple. He’s a sick man."

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