Devastated dad of Indian woman gang-raped then fed to dogs says she was ‘unrecognisable’ when he found her body
A man known to the family, Sumit Kumar, 25, has been arrested as the key suspect
THE father of a 22-year-old Indian woman who was raped and murdered before her body was eaten by dogs reveals the horror of identifying her maggot-covered body.
Mahender Singh, 45, and mother Baed Kaur, 40, from Sonipat, in Haryana, northern India, have given their first interview since they found out their only daughter had been abducted and killed.
Father Mahender, 45, had to identify his daughter’s body in Rohtak, on May 12, but still cannot come to terms with what he saw.
"Her body was unrecognisable," said the grieving family dad, who works as a daily wage labourer earning just £1 a day.
"When I arrived, her body was in a dustbin. No one had placed her body on a bed.
"She had over 200 maggots on her body but I picked her up in my arms and put her on a stretcher. It took doctors four hours to remove those maggots from her body.
"I managed to identify my daughter by her clothes and a chain her mother had given her a few days earlier. I will never be able to get that sight out of mind."
The couple's daughter, who has not been named, dreamed of becoming a doctor and worked in the packing department of a pharmaceutical company.
She was on her way to work on May 9 when she was abducted.
A man known to the family, called Sumit Kumar, 25, has been arrested as the key suspect.
He lives in a nearby village and had been in love with the young woman, but kept asking her to marry him and was rejected every time.
Mum Baed said: "She'd left home at 8am but when she hadn't returned by the evening I got worried. My son and I went to the factory but it was closed.
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"That's when we reported her missing. My neighbours came round and told me that my daughter had been raped and murdered in the most brutal way after they'd read it in a local newspaper."
She was kidnapped and forced to drink sedatives before she was driven to a jungle, around 60km from Sonipat.
The terrified victim was then raped, tortured and murdered, before her naked body was left in the jungle to be eaten by stray dogs.
A post-mortem report stated that iron wires had been inserted into her mouth, her internal organs and her private parts were damaged beyond recognition and her face was smashed with bricks before she was run over with a car.
Even sections of her hair had been torn out and scattered around the vicinity.
Baed said: "I've never heard of a scene more horrendous than this.
"My daughter had always been afraid of being raped. She used to always ask me to lock the door if she was home alone.
"But look how she died? She experienced both (rape and murder) in the most brutal way possible."
The young victim earned £60 a month to save for her future studies as well as contributing towards the family’s expenses.
Her heartbroken mother added: "She was earning money so that she could study further as our financial condition was not good. She used to save half of her salary for her studies and give me the rest to run the house.
"She was a good girl. She was not only my daughter but also my closest friend. We shared a great bond."
Baed said the suspect had been harassing her daughter for a year, constantly asking her to marry him.
She complained about him to police three months ago but the matter was resolved when his family apologised and promised to stop the harassment.
But Baed said: "His mother even threatened to kidnap my daughter and force her to marry her son.
"My daughter refused to marry him because she knew he was unemployed and loud, she knew marrying him would bring disgrace to the family.
"A fortnight ago he approached her again and blocked her way as she walked. She slapped him but it only infuriated him more and he said he’d get revenge.
"But I had no idea he’d do this. They could have shot her if they wanted to kill her, why did they have to torture her so much?
"Why did they have to do this to my daughter?"
Baed, who also has a 20-year-old son, admits giving birth to a daughter in India is dangerous.
It has been reported that ten girls from the same pharmaceutical company have resigned fearing similar incidents since the attack.
Baed said: "I wonder which is a bigger mistake, to give birth to a daughter or to educate your daughter? Giving birth to a daughter in India is a crime.
"If a girl has to suffer this torture, then it’s better not to have a girl child.
"If crimes like this continue to happen I pray none of my friends or relatives are blessed with a daughter."
Baed remembered her daughter’s last morning at home as she lay surrounded by her family.
"She didn’t have breakfast that morning," she said. "I offered her 20 rupees (20p) to get a juice on her way into work but she gave it back to me saying I should save it.
"She was an understanding and caring girl who could survive without food for days but would never complain. I was so proud of her.
"She was never really bothered about marriage. She wanted to study and have a career so that she could help us financially.
"How will I live without her now? I have no idea how I’ll cope with this loss."
Police have arrested two suspects so far, even though doctors believe there could be several more involved.
Dr Suresh Kumar Dhatterwal, head of the forensic department at PGIMS, said: "Police showed utter negligence in this case. When they left the body here, they mentioned the name as unknown and gender as male.
"They suspected the cause of death to be dehydration and hunger and that the person was mentally unstable."
"But it was a brutal case of rape and murder. A large and harsh weapon had been inserted in her private parts to cause further injury and it had ruptured her anus.
"Her head was brutally smashed in order to hide her identity. The bones of her head were badly broken.
"We suspect several men have raped her and killed her."
Deputy Superintendent of Police, Mukesh Kumar, in Rohtak, said: "We have arrested the two accused in this case – 25-year-old Sumit and 21-year-old Vikas."
The two have been arrested under Sections 302 (punishment for murder), 376 A (punishment for rape), 376 D (gang rape) of the Indian Penal Code and the case will be heard in court within the next 90 days.
Baed added: "I will not hide my face in shame. I will now fight for justice until my last breath.
"I will bravely come forward and fight for the rights of my daughter. She did nothing wrong. The man who did this should be hiding his face in shame.
"I will kill myself if we do not get justice."
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