We’ve been through a lot, want to move on: Family

A day after she was brought back home after her horrific one-month ordeal, the 14-year-old victim’s grandmother looked defeated. As neighbours dropped in to offer their support, the grandmother tried hard to pull herself together.

A day after she was brought back home after her horrific one-month ordeal, the 14-year-old victim’s grandmother looked defeated. As neighbours dropped in to offer their support, the grandmother tried hard to pull herself together.

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“We have been through a lot. She has faced a lot more trauma than anyone deserves to and we don’t wish to talk about it,” the grandmother said, reiterating that talking about it would bring the haunting incident back to life. “We just wish to move on. Whatever had to happen has happened. It cannot be undone. Talking about it now will be like applying salt to our wounds.”

The victim’s uncle politely refused to comment on the incident that has clearly shattered the family.

Residents of the building where the family lives are upset too. “Although we live in separate houses, we are like a family. It feels as if my own daughter has been put through the trauma. We cannot express how sad and upset we feel,” said a neighbour, who did not wish to be named.

The teenager had lost her parents when she was only two years old and was pampered by her grandmother and maternal uncle, who has been taking care of her all these years, said another neighbour. “She lost her parents, but she had her uncle and grandmother to call her own. Now, they are doing everything to protect her,” the neighbour said. “What she has been through, I would not wish such a fate even for an enemy.”

(The names of the family members and the location of the house have not been disclosed to protect the victim’s identity.)