In a shocking case, a 25-year-old married woman was allegedly kept locked in a bathroom in Bihar's Darbhanga for the last three years by her husband and in-laws after she could not meet their dowry demands.

The victim was rescued on Sunday by police from a house in Rambagh locality of Darbhanga town, around 140 km north-east of Patna.

Station House Officer Seema Kumari found her in tattered clothes, unkempt dry hair and with overgrown nails.

"The woman could barely open her eyes in the sunlight, as she had survived in darkness and dim light, closeted in the small space," Kumari said.

"The woman revealed that she was thrown into the bathroom and locked there. She was not allowed to see her child, and given leftover food irregularly. It was as if her in-laws were seeking revenge for not bringing ample dowry and giving birth to a girl child," the SHO said.

The woman hails from Patsan village in Andrathadi police station area in Darbhanga district.She was married to a Prabhat Kumar Singh in 2010. Soon after the marriage, her husband and in-laws allegedly started torturing her for more dowry, police said.