Family disfigured 19-year-old so that she couldn’t marry

Hyderabad: Prathyusha, the 19-year-old girl who had been tortured by her father and stepmother, was supposed to inherit property worth lakhs when she turned 18.

However, her stepmother Shyamala and father Ch. Ramesh told her that she would only get the property at the time of her wedding. The couple then began torturing the girl and mutilated her so that she could not get married, said her relatives.

Since Pratyusha’s mother Sarala had committed suicide after her divorce with her father, and her grandparents were dead, Ramesh was given her custody. However, Shyamala manipulated him too as she wanted the property for herself.

Pratyusha’s aunt Saikumari, Sarala’s elder sister, said, “A two-bedroom flat at Padmaraonagar is entitled to Prathyusha as per the agreement. And Shyamala wanted it.” She said that she was not allowed to visit Prathyusha.

Shyamala had also tried to portray the victim as mentally challenged in order to stop her wedding. “She mutilated the girl in every possible way, and wanted to portray the victim as mentally challenged. She also did not allow her to eat and asked her to commit suicide if she wanted to escape the torture,” said a child rights activist.

Meanwhile, the LB Nagar police is still searching for Ramesh, who is absconding. Shyamala has been sent to judicial remand for attempt to murder.

“We have launched a search for her father, who has also been booked for attempt to murder, torture and wrongful confinement,” said the investigation official from LB Nagar police station. Doctors said the girl was recovering but has health issues apart from her injuries.