A 13-year-old sexual assault survivor in Hyderabad and her mother escaped from their home to seek help from the police. The girl was allegedly sexually assaulted by her stepfather. According to the girl’s mother, the accused Syed Saifuddin* (name changed to protect survivor's identity) gagged her daughter and assaulted her. He allegedly also threatened to kill both mother and daughter if they revealed the incident to others. The incident took place under Tappachabutra police limits.
Though the incident took place last month, it came to light recently after the duo managed to escape from home and file a complaint with the police. The police have filed a case against the accused under sections 376 (1) (punishment for rape), 376 (2) (rape on a woman when she is under twelve years of age), 506 (criminal intimidation) and under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012.
The survivor’s mother told the media that she confronted her husband when she allegedly witnessed him committing the crime. Following this, the accused allegedly poured boiling water on her legs and threatened to kill her and the survivor if they shared the incident with others. The woman said that she has been married to the accused for seven years.
The woman further alleged that they had been confined in the house for several days without access to any kind of communication to the outer world. “Whenever he would go out, he would lock the house. He did not allow me to talk to my parents. He told my parents that they can visit the house only after checking with him,” she alleged. The harassment continued for nearly 15 days, she said.
However, the mother and daughter managed to escape. The former reached out to her parents and then approached the police.