Police in Afghanistan have rescued a 15-year-old girl who had been beaten, starved and locked up in a toilet for five months by her in-laws in the northeastern Baghlan province.

Sahar Gul also had a broken arm and removed fingernails when she was found in the home of her husband's parents on Monday night. Her mother-in-law and two other women in the house were arrested, but her husband had fled.

"The 15-year-old girl was brought to hospital with severe shock," said Pul-i-Khurmeri hospital chief Dr. Gul Mohammad Wardak, according to AFP. Wardak added that she has injuries in the legs and face.

The police search for the girl was prompted by a request from her parents, who had not seen her for months since she was taken to live in her husband's home. The girl from Badakhshan province was married to the man seven months ago.

Authorities learned that Gul was locked up and beaten by her husband and in-laws for refusing their order for her to work as a prostitute.