The victim, Parbati Sahani, told police that her husband, Bijay Kumar, beat her for not preparing dinner on time and imprisoned her, giving her very little to eat and drink.

Parbati was rescued on Monday after her mother reported the incident to police after learning about the incident from her daughter’s neighbour.  

When police opened the door to the room where Parbati was being held by her husband, she was found lying unconscious on her own faeces and urine.

She was taken to the Koshi Zonal Hospital for treatment. Police said Bijay Kumar had apparently bludgeoned Parbati with a log. She had suffered fractures on her left arm and her right leg. Doctors said the victim had also suffered injuries on her genitals.

Parbati said that her husband and her in-laws started abusing her within a few days after the marriage for not bringing sufficient dowry. She said that her family had offered Rs 25,000 cash, a bicycle and a cow as dowry to her husband’s family at the time of the marriage, four years ago.

According to the neighbours, Parbati’s her in-laws have also been mistreating her for not being able to bear a baby boy.

Parbati, who had been living at her maternal home for most part of the past one and a half years, had returned to her husband’s house after he returned from Punjab, where he had gone to work.