Gujarat man sells wife for Rs 50,000; raped repeatedly for 10 days

PALANPUR: What began as a routine missing persons complaint led Palanpur police in north Gujarat to uncover a disturbing human trafficking case in which a 26-year-old woman was allegedly sold by her husband for Rs 50,000 and repeatedly raped for 10 days.

Police arrested 6 people, including the woman’s 30-year-old husband, to whom she was married for 12 years. Investigators said he allegedly wanted to “get rid of her” simply because he no longer liked her.

The other accused include his two friends, one of whom allegedly raped the woman twice, and three members of a family from a village near Tharad, with whom a deal to sell her for Rs 1.5 lakh was allegedly arranged. Police said one of the accused from Tharad raped her every day for seven consecutive days.

“The woman and the main accused were married for 12 years. He grew tired of her and disliked her. The victim also claimed that he wanted to bring another woman home and used to torture her. For this reason alone, he conspired with his friends to sell her,” said R K Patel, inspector at Palanpur West police station and the investigating officer.

According to police, the husband initially attempted to cover up the crime by filing a missing persons complaint at Palanpur West police station on May 11, claiming that his wife had left the house without informing anyone a day earlier. Since the woman did not own or use a mobile phone, officers questioned him in detail.

Suspecting the police were unconvinced by his account, he fled soon after. Later, his father filed a separate missing persons complaint for him, alleging that he was being threatened by his in-laws.

Police, however, found inconsistencies in both complaints and launched a deeper investigation using technical surveillance and human intelligence.

Investigators revealed that the husband was involved in an affair and wanted to bring another woman home. He reportedly told his friends that his wife would neither leave him nor agree to a divorce. As part of their plot, two of his friends took her in a rickshaw to a flat under a false pretext on May 10, where one of them raped her twice.

The accused then allegedly contacted a family in a village near Tharad to sell the woman for marriage. Police said the deal was fixed at Rs 1.5 lakh, with Rs 50,000 paid upfront and the remainder to be paid later.

She was then taken to Tharad, where one of the accused allegedly confined her in his home and repeatedly raped her for nearly a week before police rescued her on May 21. His parents are also among the arrested.

“We have collected all the evidence, including CCTV footage, call detail records, and call recordings. We also counselled the woman before she formally lodged a complaint against the accused,” Patel said.

Investigators further revealed that the husband previously trapped and eloped with two married women, both of whom were later reported missing.

Police also said the accused stole the woman’s gold earring, worth around Rs 15,000, and sold it in Deesa.

(The victim's identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme court directives on cases related to sexual assault)
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