Retired judge arrested for torturing pregnant daughter-in-law

A retired judicial magistrate, his wife and son were among four persons arrested today on the charge of torturing his pregnant daughter-in-law and throwing her into a river with her hands and legs tied when she refused to abort her baby.

The three family members and another person were arrested following a statement of the woman, who is fighting for her life in the SCB Medical College Hospital here, Cuttack Deputy Commissioner of Police Pravin Kumar told reporters.

The woman, in her early 30s, was found by morning walkers near the spur of Mahanadi barrage here yesterday with wounds on her head and her hands and legs tied with a rubber tube.

They reported the matter to the police, who rescued her.

Kumar said the judge's family had hired goons to throw the woman into the river after intoxicating her.

The police have launched a manhunt to nab the goons, who allegedly took Rs 3.5 lakh from the judge for the crime.

The woman, who is about 20 weeks pregnant, in her statement said she was married to the judge's son about five years ago. However, the in-laws wanted her to abort the baby so that they could arrange a second marriage for their son.

She said she was taken to a private hospital in

Bhubaneswar on Sunday evening for terminating her pregnancy.

"But the doctors refused to do so when I protested," the woman, who had conceived for the first time, said.

Police investigation found that she resided with the retired judge's family at Chandrasekharpur area of Bhubaneswar and corroborated her statement.

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