Thrissur (Kerala), June 10: In a shocking incident, a 27-year-old woman was locked up in an apartment in Kochi and raped, tortured, and blackmailed by her live-in partner for 22 days. The man, identified as 26-year-old Martin Joseph from Thrissur, is still absconding though the woman had filed a case against him on April 8.
Gruesome details of the abuse have surfaced only now after the woman released photographs of her horrific injuries; bruises, burns, and black and blue marks all over the body. In the course of the three weeks, she was kicked, scalded with hot water, made to drink urine, and brutally raped by Martin, who threatened to leak her private pictures if she dared to escape or complain to the police, the woman alleges.
A release by the Kochi City Police Commissioner says that the woman, a native of Kannur was working in Ernakulam as a fashion designer and was acquainted with Martin, who lived in the same city. At one point, she moved in with him, and the two lived together for a year.
Martin had convinced the woman to loan him Rs 5 lakh to invest in stock markets, promising to pay her Rs 40,000 every month, the press release says. However, he did not, and when she demanded the money, he started getting abusive, following which the woman left his apartment in December. Martin kept coercing the woman to return, threatening to leak her private pictures otherwise, upon which she finally returned in February, only to live the next three weeks in hell.
On March 8, when Martin went out to buy food, the woman made her escape and filed a complaint at a nearby police station. However, Martin continued to threaten her on the phone, the woman alleges. He has also sought anticipatory bail multiple times, all of which were denied except for the latest one, in the Kerala High Court.
The offender has been charged with various sections of the Indian Penal code (IPC). These are for voluntarily causing hurt, (323), Voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means (324), wrongful confinement for ten or more days (344), rape (376), cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property (420), punishment for criminal intimidation (506).
The police has asked anyone with information about him to contact them. One more woman has reportedly come forward with a complaint against Martin at the Ernakulam Central Police Station.
In the past few days, there has been a public outcry at police inaction including a reprimand from the Women’s Commission Chairman MC Josephine.
On their part, the police say that the lockdown made it difficult for them to locate the offender. A team had visited Martin’s Thrissur home and premises soon after the filing of the case, and they have been tracking his friends and relatives with the help of the cyber cell.
Three people who helped Martin hide from the police have been arrested today, and he will be arrested any moment, the police said.