An Indian woman chopped off the penis of her brother-in-law and brought it to police as proof he had raped her. The brother-in-law killed himself and police charged the woman with attempted murder. Photo by VARTS/Shutterstock.

MUMBAI, Feb. 16 (UPI) -- A woman in India chopped off her brother-in-law's penis while the man allegedly attempted to rape her. She is now being charged with attempted murder.

The unidentified woman, 32, claimed her brother-in-law, also unidentified, had repeatedly raped her and when she got her chance, she grabbed a sickle and chopped off his penis.


The woman and her three children had been living with the man in Madhya Pradesh, in Central India, while her husband was working in a city 700 miles away.

When the man allegedly forced himself on her again last week, she was able to reach for a sickle and severe his penis, the Times of India reported. She then brought his penis to police as evidence and allegedly told them without regret it was the only way to stop the rapes.

Though local police attempted to find the man, he had hanged himself from a tree near the house, police said. Sidhi police have charged her with attempted murder.

"This is a rare case and has to be investigated for a proper charge sheet," said Sidhi police spokesman Abid Khan.