Domestic Violence - Madvi: 'I thought I was going to die that day'
Title: Domestic Violence - Madvi: 'I thought I was going to die that day'
Content: Reshad Toorab, Sunday 09/11/2025 - 1:00 PM
The visible scars on her body testify to the violence of the assault she endured. Madvi spent nearly two weeks in Dr. A.G. Jeetoo Hospital.
- Her partner is still on the run.
The scars on her head and back tell a horror story better than words ever could, reflecting the nightmare she experienced in her home on Albion Road, Petite-Rivière. "I thought I was going to die that day," whispers Madvi, her voice trembling, still haunted by the trauma. At 46, this factory machinist nearly lost her life at the hands of her partner, Kristnen, whom she has known for 17 years.
The couple had been going through a rough patch for three months, with escalating arguments, jealousy, and threats. On October 6, everything spiraled out of control. "He was laughing, and I didn’t understand why. When I asked him, he came at me, grabbed my neck, pushed me onto the bed, and started to strangle me," she confides.
In shock, she was unable to react. Kristnen then grabbed a soda bottle and smashed it over her head. Blood began to flow. He picked up a shard of glass and stabbed her in the back. "He stabbed me everywhere. I felt my head spinning... I was losing consciousness," recalls Madvi, clutching a blood-stained handkerchief.
Alerted by her screams, neighbors rushed in and found her lying on the floor, covered in blood. Rushed to Dr. A.G. Jeetoo Hospital, she was admitted to intensive care. "The doctor told me I had a lot of blood pooling in my head. I thought he would finish me off," she says, holding back tears. Upon her release from the hospital on October 17, the woman filed a complaint at the Petite-Rivière police station. Since then, her attacker has been on the run.
This was not the first time Madvi had been beaten. In the past, Kristnen had assaulted and threatened her multiple times. "He had already threatened me before. I had filed a police report... but I forgave him," she says, a mistake she now bitterly regrets. Just days before the latest attack, Kristnen had threatened her: "He strangled me and said, 'I’ll throw acid on you.'" A threat she did not take seriously... until October 6.
After leaving her half-conscious, Kristnen searched the house and stole Rs 50,000, along with her mobile phone. But that wasn’t all. Shortly after his escape, Kristnen began posting intimate photos of her on social media. "Often when I was changing, he would take my picture… When I confronted him, he would say, 'No, I’m just watching TikTok.'"
Compromising Photos
He allegedly used these photos to coerce her into meeting him. "He threatened me: 'If you don’t meet me alone, I’ll post your naked photos on Facebook,'" she recounts. When she refused, he allegedly posted pictures of her partially undressed under a fake profile with obscene comments. "I felt ashamed, I didn’t want to go out. My friends started to have doubts. My life was over," she confesses.
Madvi plans to file a complaint under the ICT Act. Today, she lives in seclusion with her 77-year-old mother. She no longer dares to go out alone, and every noise makes her jump. "I have no peace. Every time I go out, I look behind me. I'm afraid he will come back."
Her physical wounds are healing slowly, but the emotional scars of her dignity remain deep. Despite her fear, she wants to move on. "I’m not seeking revenge. I just want the police to act before it’s too late. I don’t want anyone else to go through what I experienced," she says with determination. Each morning, looking in the mirror at her still-visible scars, she repeats to herself: "I’m still alive. He didn’t manage to kill me." And while her attacker remains at large, Madvi stands firm. Standing strong, a survivor.