A 25-year-old housewife lived through eight years of hell, being whipped by her husband almost every day for small lapses, or even when their children cried.

Her husband, a vegetable seller in Kulai, Johor, had told her the whippings were to teach her to become an obedient housewife, Harian Metro reported.

Her 26-year-old husband whom she married at the age of 17 would whip her with a belt for 10 minutes each time she forgot to pack fish and vegetables in their van, or if she was slow in feeding their children, now aged two and seven.

The woman said that as result of the whippings, she suffered injuries all over her body, particularly on her buttocks and thighs.

Every time a member of her family asked about the injuries she would lie, saying that she had fallen in the bathroom or hurt herself while doing household chores.

The woman, identified as Zarimah, said her husband forbade her from seeking treatment at a clinic or hospital, fearing that his actions would be discovered.

She said he had also forced her to borrow money from her grandmother to pay for his car. "He threatened to kill me and my children if I failed to get the money," she said.

Not being able to take it any more, she fled to a neighbour's house and has decided to ask for a divorce for the sake of her children.

The daily also reported that police caught three burglars looting a house in Bandar Sungai Long in Kajang.

Kajang OCPD Assist Comm Mohd Sakaruddin Che Mood said a neighbour alerted the police upon seeing the three men behaving suspiciously at the house at about 11.53am.

The police arrived within five minutes and found the trio, armed with parangs, in the midst of putting their loot in a pillow case and a bag.

Police recovered RM67,000, four branded watches, two gold chains and two rings.