She was brought into hospital after attempting to commit suicide with rat poison. But when nurses examined Sitabai Chouhan, they make a horrific discovery that was medieval in its barbarity. Four years ago, the housewife had been drugged by her husband Chouhan who then punctured holes with a needle on either side of her genitals. He had carried out the agonising assault so he could seal her private parts with a padlock when he went to work to stop her having sex with anyone else.
When she was admitted to the Maharaja Yashwant Raoin Hospital in Indore, India, the crudely-fashioned chastity belt was still in place. It was only removed when police tracked down her husband and retrieved the key. He had kept the keys in his socks. Head constable Chhaganlal said: ‘The nurses confirmed the existence of a small lock. It was only after the husband’s arrest that the lock could be opened.’ Chouhan said he had done this because several women in his family had ‘strayed’ in the past. Mrs Chouhan is being treated in hospital and is expected to make a full recovery. Her husband, meanwhile, has been charged with cruelty and voluntarily causing grievous hurt. Police described him as an alcoholic who was mentally disturbed. Mrs Chouhan married her husband when she was 16.
