A man’s penis has been permanently compromised after his wife allegedly chopped it off with a kitchen knife because he demanded that his other wife move into their family home.
The couple, of Bangladeshi heritage, had recently relocated to the town of Angri in Campania, Italy, where the husband had found a house spacious enough to accommodate both his wives.
Both bigamy and polygamy are illegal in Italy, but the practice persists within certain communities.
The 35-year-old second wife was against the idea of cohabiting with the first wife, triggering the disagreement. She then allegedly castrated him when he was taking a nap after lunch.
The husband awoke screaming in agony as blood poured from the injury. He stumbled onto a first-floor balcony and cried out for assistance.
Two women passing by heard his screams, entered the property, and managed to stem the bleeding until paramedics arrived.
They reportedly put the detached penis on ice in the hope it could be reattached.
However, surgeons stated reattachment was impossible as the organ was “permanently compromised.”
Upon arrival, police discovered the wife wandering around in a state of shock, allegedly still holding the knife. She was arrested and charged with attempted murder.
The police are also probing whether the husband was drugged before the assault.
A team of Carabinieri police, led by Commander Gianfranco Albanese and local prosecutor Gianluca Caputo, are still investigating the alleged knife attack.
Angelo Pisani, a lawyer and founder of an organisation that campaigns against domestic abuse, commented on the case and said: “This is a case of unprecedented violence.”
The domestic abuse lawyer added: “This kind of violence must always be condemned, regardless of who committed it.”
