'I Would Die There': Dehradun Woman Recounts 10 Months of Alleged Captivity and Abuse by In-Laws

Dehradun: A disturbing case of alleged domestic violence has emerged from Dehradun, Uttarakhand, where a 32-year-old woman has accused her husband and in-laws of confining her for nearly 10 months, subjecting her to repeated physical and mental abuse, and separating her from her twin children.

Based on a complaint filed by the woman's father, Selakui Police Station filed a case against her husband Rahul Khanduri and his parents. The allegations are currently under examination. According to the allegation, the woman married Rahul Khanduri two years ago and had twins in February 2025. Her husband worked as a teacher at a Kendriya Vidyalaya in Delhi, so she stayed with her in-laws in Dehradun.

Her father has claimed that since July of last year, his daughter has been locked to a room and a toilet for long hours, refused contact to her family, and regularly attacked. When relatives attempted to call her, they were supposedly informed she was asleep or bathing. But the woman's own description of those months portrays the most horrific picture. 

"Give me my child back," she said, recalling how she was allegedly separated from her twins.

“He said that you are mad. You can't use him. He used me. He wanted my child. He wanted my child. They used me. They got married and had children. As soon as they had children, they used me.”

'I thought I would stay there and die there'

The woman alleged that she was completely cut off from the outside world. "I asked everyone to give me a phone. I needed to speak to my family. I missed my family very much." 

Describing the emotional toll of the isolation, she said, “I was tortured mentally. I was mentally tortured. I didn't know what to do. I kept going back and forth. I didn't have an option. I didn't have a phone. I didn't know who to talk to. So I accepted that I would stay here. I would die here."

The days and nights reportedly blurred into one another. I didn't know the time or the day."

‘I could only eat raw rice, onions and salt’

One of the most shocking allegations in the complaint concerns the conditions in which she was allegedly kept. The woman said she often remained hungry and survived on extremely limited food.

“I was hungry. But I didn't know who to ask for food. I was afraid that my mother would come with me. So I stayed hungry. I could only eat rice, raw rice, onions and salt.”

Her father has similarly alleged that she was fed raw rice, onions and chillies while being confined. According to the family, she was forced to cook separately on a small stove kept inside the room where she was allegedly locked for most of the day.

‘My entire body was injured’

The woman has also levelled serious allegations of physical abuse. “I always had a knife, a stick, a wiper, a sari, a pistol, a bucket, a broom, an umbrella, slippers. I had everything.”

Describing the injuries she claims to have suffered, she said, “I bled twice on my head. I was completely injured. My entire body was injured. I haven't recovered yet. I haven't recovered yet. It hurts a lot. They beat me in my stomach."

Her father's complaint states that she was attacked with pipes, chairs, rods, and other objects. It further alleges that bottles and sticks were used to abuse her private areas. The family cites medical findings that include wounds on the scalp, bruising and injuries over the upper, middle, and lower back, soreness in the chest, injuries to the thighs, and many wounds caused by hard and blunt items.

‘She was covered in blood’: Victim’s Mother

The victim’s mother also spoke Republic about the condition in which her daughter was found. “They beat her in her entire body. From head to toe. They beat her in every part of her body” she said. 

Recalling what she saw after her daughter was rescued, she said "She was covered in blood. She was in a very bad condition. They pulled and cut her hair. They glued rubber bands on her hair for 10 months.”

According to the mother, her daughter was repeatedly assaulted and denied access to her own children. “She was in a very bad condition. They beat her in every part of her body. She was completely injured. She had no skin on her body.”

The family has also alleged that the twins were taken away from their mother shortly after birth and that she was not allowed to meet them.

Accused family reportedly missing from home

When the claims surfaced, the victim's father maintained that the accused family members were not present at their home. According to the complaint, the woman was allegedly threatened with death and barred from visiting with her family and children.

Police have confirmed that a case has been filed, and an investigation is continuing. A police official stated that the case is being investigated from all perspectives.

"We got information from a person in which his daughter, who had come here after her marriage, was sent to a house by her in-laws to be held as a prisoner, because she had been rescued from there during an instant police investigation. And because the matter is related to domestic violence, we are paying attention to all aspects and will carry out the correct investigation in all aspects."