An Ozone Park couple has been busted for child abuse after their 12-year-old daughter went through years of suffering that included being locked in her room without food and water, and being hit with a broken broom handle, officials said.
The child’s biological father, Rajesh Ranot, 46, and her stepmother, Sheetal Ranot, 31, have both been charged with assault and endangering the welfare of a child, District Attorney Richard Brown announced on Tuesday. The father has also been charged with unlawful imprisonment.
Rajesh and Sheetal Ranot are accused of beating their daughter Maya so badly that she ended up in the emergency room and starving her to the point that she weighed 58 pounds.
The horror began in December 2012, and lasted until July of this year, at which time Maya was repeatedly abused by her parents and locked in her bedroom for extended periods of time without food and water, according to prosecutors.
She was forced to take cold showers while her father struck her with various objects, including a baseball bat. Her stepmother allegedly hit her repeatedly and on different occasions used a wooden rolling pin and a broken metal broom handle.
The abuse sent her to the hospital several times, where she had to undergo surgery for her wrist and receive stitches, the district attorney said. During these visits doctors noticed the bruises, marks and scars on her body, and her low weight.
“Despite the bruising and scarring on her body which served as a silent testament to the violence and cruelty she purportedly endured, it is alleged that for a long time this emaciated child was fearful of disclosing the true nature of her injuries or those responsible for her suffering for fear that her younger step-siblings would be taken away by authorities and placed in foster care,” Brown said. “Fortunately, she found the courage to speak up.”
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