A 43-year-old domestic help was allegedly assaulted by her employers after they suspected her of theft at their house that happened over 10 months ago here in south Delhi’s Madangarhi, the police said.
One of the accused, identified as Seema Khatoon, was arrested on Sunday, while raids are under way to nab the other co-accused.
The police received a PCR call on August 10 from a hospital, wherein they were informed that a woman who works as a domestic help had consumed poison. The woman told the police that she was thrashed by her owner and other members of the family for allegedly committing a theft at the house 10 months ago.
Consumed poison
“She further stated that due to the torture and humiliation caused by the owner’s family, she consumed poison,” a senior police officer said.
Subsequently a case under IPC sections pertaining to voluntarily causing hurt, wrongful constraint and criminal intimidation was lodged at the Maidangarhi police station.
In the FIR, the complainant stated that she had been working at the accused’s house since the past two years. Over 10 months ago, a robbery had taken place at the place in which a lot of gold and valuables were stolen. “My employers suspected the domestic helps in the theft,” the complainant said in the FIR.
Occult ritual
On August 9, the victim’s employers called a priest for an occult ritual meant to find out who carried out the robbery. “They kept a potion on every domestic help’s mouth and if one of the person’s mouth turned red, he or she would be the culprit,” the woman said. “Of all the domestic helps, my mouth apparently turned red and they found me as the accused”.
The woman alleged that her employers forced her to confess to the crime and eventually locked her up in a room. They tied her up and assaulted her. Tormented by the incident, the woman found a packet of rat poison in the room and consumed it. Thereafter, she fell unconscious and was taken to a hospital.
