Woman assaulted in own home, husband seeks justice

A 58-year-old woman is recovering after she was allegedly assaulted by a man inside her home at Vunivau, Bua, last Saturday.

Phul Kumari, who suffered injuries to her left eye, left leg and ribs, was discharged from Nabouwalu Sub-Divisional Hospital on Diwali day.

Her husband, Ganeshwar Prasad, 60, said their preparations to celebrate Diwali had been ruined by the incident.

Mr Prasad, a market vendor, said he had left home early that morning with farm produce to sell at Nabouwalu Market.

“At around 9.20am, I received a distress call from my wife, asking me to rush home because she had been robbed and was about to die,” Mr Prasad said.

He said it took him about 45 minutes to drive home. On the way, he stopped at Nabouwalu Police Station to seek assistance.

“I asked the officers to come with me because I thought the suspect might not have gone far. However, they insisted on waiting for their own transport to arrive before attending to my report,” he said.

Mr Prasad said he was distressed by what he saw when he arrived home.

“When I entered the house, I started crying because my wife was covered in blood and had cuts and bruises on her body. One of her eyes was closed and swollen,” he said.

He said his wife was taken to hospital, where she received an injection and Panadol before being discharged the following day.

He claimed doctors told them there was no need to transfer her to Labasa Hospital for an x-ray.

Mr Prasad said his wife had heard the dogs barking and went outside towards the gate to check.

“She saw a man approaching her and asking for suki (tobacco) and money. She gave the suki to the man, but he started beating her and demanding money.

He dragged her inside the house, covered her face with a saree and continued beating her for about 20 minutes,” he said.

“He then stole two SIM cards from the phone and left.”

Mr Prasad said the couple had good relationships with people in the four nearby villages and had never expected someone to betray their trust.

He said elderly women, particularly those living in remote areas of Vanua Levu, had been victims of assaults and called on the relevant authorities to take action.

“Otherwise, living in a country where our own privacy and homes are invaded will no longer be safe,” he said.

“I plead to the Police to give us justice so that the fear from our life can go away."

Police spokesperson Ana Naisoro confirmed yesterday that Police had received the report and were looking into it.