The father and the stepmother of a minor girl were arrested by police for brutally torturing their seven-year-old daughter at Balipatna on the outskirts of the city on Friday.
Police said the arrested accused have been booked for attempted murder of the child.
"A case has been registered against both the accused under IPC Section 307," said Bhubaneswar DCP Umashankar Das.
The girl was in the custody of her father following the divorce of her parents a year back. The plight of the minor girl came to light after her own mother rescued her from ‘hell’ and admitted her to Capital hospital in Bhubaneswar recently.
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Due to starvation, the girl has been reduced to bones. Lying on the hospital bed, the malnourished girl managed to utter a few words narrating her ordeal. She said her father, Bilal Khan inflicted serious burn injuries on her fingers by putting them into hot water.
The girl’s mother, Rizwana Parveen, who rescued her and admitted her to Capital Hospital in Bhubaneswar demanded stringent punishment for the culprits.
According to sources, Rizwana married Bilal in 2013. However, their relation stained and they mutually divorced in 2020. The custody of the girl was given to Bilal.
The minor girl’s life turned from bad to worse when her father got married for the second time. Bilal along with his present wife allegedly started torturing the girl. They used to tie her up to a pole, it was alleged.
When Rizwana learnt about the condition of her daughter, she with the help of a social activist, rescued her.