A 25-year-old mother was locked in a bathroom for three years and banned from seeing her child because she gave birth to a girl, reports claim.

The Indian woman found with overgrown nails and torn clothes could not open her eyes in the sunlight.

And she wept inconsolably when her daughter did not recognise her.

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Inconsolable: The victim (file image pictured) who could not open her eyes in the sunlight after being beaten and locked up in a bathroom for three years wept inconsolably when her daughter did not recognise her

Police forced entry into her makeshift prison in Darbhanga, east of Patna, after her father sought intervention, according to the International Business Times.

Interviews revealed she had been tortured consistently since her wedding in 2010 after failing to bring enough dowry - money and gifts donated from the bride's family to the groom's.

When she gave birth to a girl, she was locked up.

Chief officer Seema Kumari said: 'The woman could barely open her eyes in the sunlight, as she had survived in darkness and dim light, closeted in the small space.

'The woman revealed that she was thrown into the bathroom and locked there.

'She was not allowed to see her child, and given leftover food irregularly. It was as if her in-laws were seeking revenge for not bringing ample dowry and for giving birth to a girl child.'

Dowry-giving has been illegal in India since 1981, but many still continue with the practice.

It has been suggested as a reason for families prioritising sons over daughter.

Investigation: Police in Darbhanga (pictured), near the city of Patna in India, discovered the woman after her father sought help. She had been barred from seeing any family after presenting an 'inadequate' dowry

Ms Kumari said: 'She was never allowed to go meet her parents. When her relatives visited Darbhanga to meet her, they were dissuaded or shooed away.

'She was also barred from interacting with anybody from outside. She immediately asked for her three-year-old daughter and wept inconsolably when the child could not recognize her.'

The victim's husband, Prabhat Kumar Singh, has been taken into custody.