Help found hanging in Noida apartment

Family suspects employer’s role

Body of a 19-year-old domestic help was found hanging from a ceiling fan inside her employer’s house in AWHO Society in Kasna area of Greater Noida on Sunday evening.

While the house owner claimed that the girl had committed suicide, her family members alleged that she was sexually abused and murdered by the employer. The police said prima facie it appears to be a case of suicide, but the post-mortem report is awaited.

Ligature marks

According to the police, the deceased’s body had ligature marks on her neck and no other injuries. She had been working in that flat for the past one and a half years.

“Around 5 p.m., we got a call from the employer about the maid committing suicide by hanging herself from the ceiling fan of their house. She was rushed to Yatharth Hospital . The owner even informed the deceased’s family about the incident and asked them to reach the hospital as soon as possible,” said Suniti, Superintendent of Police (Rural), Gautam Budh Nagar.

“The girl was brought to the hospital around 5:45 pm and was declared dead on arrival. There were no injury marks on her body apart from a ligature mark on the neck,” said a senior hospital official.

According to the family members of the deceased, the girl was asked to stay back by the elderly mother of the house owner, who works with a private company. He asked the maid’s mother to allow her to stay at their apartment for the night as he and his wife had to go out in the evening.

‘Locked from inside’

However, her body was found hanging in the guest room of the house around 5:30 p.m. The old woman said the room was locked from inside and she had to ask the security head of the society to break open the door after which her body was finally recovered from the room.

The girl’s mother said she had met her half an hour before her death and suspected that the owner of the house raped her and then hanged her body from the fan to make it look like a suicide.

“I had gone to the society to meet her around 4:30 p.m. and she showed no signs of depression. We suspect the owner killed her,” said the deceased’s mother.

Protest staged

According to the police, on Monday morning, around 100 people, including maids and the deceased’s relatives, staged a protest outside the society gate and demanded the arrest of the house owner. “We have lodged an FIR against the owner under Section 302 (murder) on the basis of a complainant filed by the deceased’s father,” said a senior police officer.