2 weeks of torture in a Bhiwandi brothel left a severe impact on the victim’s mind; she has now been shifted to Nair Hospital and is being treated for psychosis.A 23-year old woman, whose breasts were slashed during two weeks of torture for refusing to enter prostitution at Bhiwandi, has grown mentally unstable due to the trauma she was put through.The victim, Rashida (name changed), was diagnosed with severe psychiatric ailments, and was shifted from Thane Civil Hospital to Nair Hospital’s psychiatry ward last week, where she is currently being treated for psychosis.“After her rescue, Rashida was found to be extremely disillusioned and she had lost touch with reality. She kept blabbering and doctors at Thane Civil Hospital, where she was being treated for her injuries, sensed that the trauma had had a severe impact on her mind,” a senior Nair Hospital doctor said, adding that the woman has been put on mood stabilizers and anti-depressants. “After she responds to these medicines, she will be put through therapy and counselling.”On March 22, the Bhiwandi City police had received a tip-off about a woman being held captive and tortured in a brothel for refusing to indulge in prostitution. Police raided the brothel located in Hanuman Tekdi locality, where they found Rashida in a semi-conscious state locked in a small room. She was bleeding from her private parts and her breasts had been slashed. She also had a broken tooth and several burn and assault marks all over her body.Rashida was first taken to Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital in Bhiwandi, but later shifted to Thane Civil Hospital as her condition was critical.The police arrested the brothel owner, identified as Ruby Munshi, but two other accused, Alam and Afzal, had managed to flee. Alam is a cousin of Rashida, and had brought her from their native place in Gujarat and sold her to Munshi for Rs 30,000.“When Rashida refused to be forced into prostitution, Ruby, Alam and Fazal began torturing her. But as Rashida didn’t give in for two weeks, the torture grew more severe: her tooth was broken, she was burnt with cigarettes, and finally her breasts were slashed by the three,” said an officer of the Bhiwandi Town Police Station.“Despite Rashida suffering such severe injuries, Munshi and her accomplices did not admit her to a hospital, but were getting her treated by a local physician,” said a social worker, who requested anonymity. “She would cry in pain all day and night, and this went on for around two weeks before another commercial sex worker tipped off the police who rescued Rashida.”While Alam and Afzal are still at large, the police have not been able to record Rashida’s statement as she has been in a traumatised state since she was rescued. “After being admitted to Thane Civil Hospital, she initially kept blabbering and then did not speak a word to anyone. Psychiatrists and the civil surgeon observed that she was mentally unstable due to her ordeal, and referred her to Nair Hospital,” an officer said.According to psychiatrist Harish Shetty, Rashida’s condition is a “complete collapse of self worth and identity”. He said, “The brutal attack on her challenged the identity of her womanhood. In such a situation, the woman will have to be put through intense treatment and will need a lot of support from her loved ones.”He added that the trajectory of the illness in such a case could be wide. “The woman may suffer from personality disorder and lose touch with reality, or could suffer from severe depression and stress, etc. Whatever her illness, she will need several sessions of counselling too,” Shetty said.