108-yr-old rape victim starves self to death

The 108-year-old woman, who was raped by her son's friend at her home in Jabalpur, allegedly starved herself to death late on Friday night. P Naveen reports.

The 108-year-old woman, who was raped by her son's friend at her home in Jabalpur, allegedly starved herself to death late on Friday night.

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Her son said since she had no medical complications before the assault, death must have come because "she stopped taking food and water since the incident took place".

Jabalpur district police chief Santosh Kumar Singh told HT that further action would be decided after getting the autopsy report. The police sent the body for autopsy on Saturday morning.

Between 5.45pm and 6.00pm on December 4, Gopi Ahirwar (45), a waiter who lives in the same locality and was a regular visitor, entered the house while the family was out on shopping and raped her.

The victim's daughter said the door to their home was always open as friends and neighbours often dropped in.

The victim's son, who is a daily wager, said Ahirwar was drunk when he visited that day and bolted the door from inside. "As soon as he came out, our neighbours got suspicious and apprehended him."

The victim, who was bleeding profusely, was rushed to a private hospital, but was refused admission. She was then taken to a government hospital from where she was discharged on Monday.

The accused, Ahirwar has been charged with rape and sent to jail.

The victim's family initially did not want the autopsy done, but the police convinced them to get it done saying that it was necessary to find out whether she died because of the assault or prolonged illness.

A senior police official involved in the investigation said on condition of anonymity: "As she was discharged from the hospital on Monday, it is difficult to ascertain the actual cause of her death."