Noida, Uttar Pradesh:
Kidnapped, tortured and even burnt for petty revenge, eight-year-old Khushboo still has nightmares about her ordeal. The girl who lives in Noida with her parents, went missing on April 30 this year.
Khushboo was kidnapped by a woman named Rita, a former neighbour who had a quarrel with her mother. She was held and brutally tortured for months by Rita and her husband Sudhanshu a chaiwala and Sudhanshu's second wife Poonam, before she managed to escape a few days back.
The girl's body is scarred with cigarette burns and her tongue was cut off to prevent her from screaming.
Talking about the case Anant Dev Superintendent of Police, Noida said: ''There was enmity between Babita, the girl's mother and Rita and Sudhanshu because of which they kidnapped this small child. That is why they kept her in their home, tortured her and cut off her tongue.''
All 3 accused Rita, Sudhanshu and Poonam have been arrested.
Khushboo is currently being treated at the Noida District hospital. Doctors say her trauma is so severe that it is difficult for her to open up to treatment.