Gujarat woman coerces minor girl to dip hand in boiling oil to prove her honesty

A 40-year-old woman was taken into police custody after she allegedly coerced her neighbour, an 11-year-old girl, to dip her hand in a pan of boiling oil to prove she wasn’t lying.

The accused woman, identified as Lakhi Makwana, has been taken into police custody for the incident that occurred in Santalpur town of Patan on Wednesday, police said.

In a clip that has been doing rounds on social media, the victim, who sustained burns on her right palm, was seen shedding tears and narrating her horrific experience. The video was reportedly recorded by the girl's neighbour following the gruesome episode.

According to sub-inspector ND Parmar from Santalpur police station, an investigation into the incident has let out that the arrested woman and the victim's family are neighbours.

Around ten days back, the minor girl had seen the accused talking to an unidentified man outside her house, police said.

"On Wednesday morning, when the girl's parents were not at home, the accused asked the girl if she had told others about her conversation with the man. Even though the girl denied, the accused took her inside her house and asked her to dip her hands in a pan of boiling oil to prove that she wasn't lying," Parmar said.

When the girl tried to run away, the accused allegedly threatened to kill her and forcibly put her right palm in the pan containing boiling oil, the police said.

"Another neighbour took the girl to a hospital as her parents were not there at home. She was later discharged following treatment. The accused woman, who ran away after the incident, was eventually nabbed," Parmar said.

In keeping with a complaint registered by the girl's father, the accused was taken into police custody. A case was lodged against her on charges of assault and criminal intimidation, ND Parmar said.

In the meantime, Jagrutiben Pandya, the Gujarat State Commission for Protection of Child Rights chairperson, has called for the district collector to carry out an investigation into the crime and submit a report.

"I have been informed that the Patan police have already registered a case in this regard. I have instructed our district child protection officer to visit the victim's residence and check the treatment being given to her. I have also asked the collector to submit a report after conducting an inquiry from his side," Jagruitiben Pandya told PTI.

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