Kharagpur, April 29: On the day Madhabi Das tasted freedom after 15 years, a blessing came another housewife’s way.

Twenty-year-old Santana Rana, who had been locked up in her Kharagpur home since her marriage three years ago, was rescued by her parents yesterday.

The five-month pregnant Santana said her mother-in-law, Piyari, would often deny her food and accused her of carrying a child that isn’t her husband’s.

In the last three years, Santana has stepped out of home only twice. Her husband Joydeb, who works in the army’s telecom department in Punjab and comes home once a year, took Santana to her parents’ home, but she did not tell them about the torture.

Yesterday afternoon, Santana’s parents and brother had come to visit her from Jhargram and found her locked in the one-storey house. Her mother-in-law had gone out.

Seeing her parents, Santana broke down and narrated her plight.

Santana;s father Bisweswar went to a club in the neighbourhood for help and also approached local councillor Lakshmirani Murmu. On the councillor’s advice, he filed a police complaint around 4 pm.

When Piyari returned at 8.15 pm, the police took the keys from her, freed Santana and detained Piyari. She was released late last night after giving a written undertaking that she would not harass her daughter-in-law again.

But Bisweswar is not taking any chances and has taken his daughter home. “After Joydeb returns, we’ll ask him why he and his mother treated my daughter like this. We will decide what to do after hearing his reply,” he said.