MUMBAI: A Bhandup rickshaw driver brutally stabbed his 22-year-old pregnant wife on Wednesday afternoon for refusing to have sex . The victim survived the three stabs, but one of the stabs perforated both her stomach and large intestine.

She may need to undergo an abortion as she was underwent several X-rays and medical procedures, said sources.

The accused, 26-year-old Imran Pathan, was arrested within few hours of the incident. His wife, though stable, will need utmost care for the next here months when a portion of her large intestine is kept outside her body for recovery. "Her injuries were quite acute. It will be three months before we can put the bowel back in its cavity," said Dr Prashant Kadam, assistant professor from Sion Hospital who operated on the woman.

The incident occurred around 3pm when Pathan and his wife were alone at home while his mother has gone out for some personal work. Pathan, an auto rickshaw driver, committed the offence after he returned home to take rest in the afternoon. “Pathan got annoyed with his wife over some domestic dispute. He fled away after attacking his wife with a kitchen knife,” said Bhandup police senior inspector Shrirang Nadgauda.

The victim, a final year BA student, was not keeping well for the last few days due to cold and fever. They married month-and-a-half ago and had recently moved to a rented house in a chawl at Jammil Nagar in Bhandup (West). In the complaint, the victim said, “As a daily routine, my husband returned in the afternoon to take rest after having food. I was not keeping well and when my husband tried to advance on me I refused him. This annoyed him and before I could react he attacked me twice on my thighs and on my upper rib close to the abdomen.”

The victim was first taken to the nearby civic-run M T Agwarwal Hospital in Mulund where she underwent several diagnostic tests, including X-rays, to ascertain the extent of her injuries. She was then shifted to Sion Hospital for emergency operations. She has reportedly told her relatives that she wants to undergo an abortion.

In fact, neighbours told the police that the couple frequently fought. “We learnt through the victim and her neighbours that Pathan regularly fought with her over petty issue. The victim also complained that her husband harassed over dowry despite having a love marriage,” said a police officer requesting anonymity.

Pathan has been booked under several sections of the Indian Penal Code for husband of a woman subjecting to cruelty and grievous hurt. He is remanded to police custody till December 24. Police have recovered the knife that Pathan has used to attack his wife.

