House help brutally tortured

A domestic help from Sadar upazila sustained serious injuries as her employer's wife burnt her with a hot cooking utensil (khunti) in the capital's Kamalapur area.

Victim Majeda Begum, 35, daughter of Kalim Uddin of Dharla river basin village Etapota, was admitted to Lalmonirhat Sadar Hospital on Tuesday. Earlier on Monday, seriously injured Majeda was sent to the district by a bus.

She received burn injuries in different parts of the body. Several torture marks were also found on her body, said Dr Manjur Morshed Dolon of the hospital.

Before admission to the hospital, Majeda took treatment, he said, adding that she is now out of danger.

The victim's maternal grandmother Gulshara Bewa said, “Lalmonirhat's Social Welfare Department's field worker Manju Ara Begum took my granddaughter to Dhaka three months ago to work as a domestic help at a house there.”

Majeda said after two weeks of starting work as a domestic help, housewife Mousumi Begum started torturing her without any reason.

“She burnt different parts of my body by hitting with hot cooking utensil. I informed Mousumi's husband Habib, a police official, about the matter several times but he did not listen to me,” Majeda said.

 “I was given treatment at my employer's house for two weeks,” she said, adding that she even did not get her wage of Tk 2000 per month.

Contacted, Manju Ara Begum said she sent Majeda to work as domestic help to her niece Mousumi's house but she was not aware about the later incidents.

Mousumi's husband Habib is a traffic sergeant of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, she said.

Soon after filing of a case against Manju Ara Begum, she went into hiding, said Officer-in-Charge of Lalmonirhat Sadar Police Station Mahfuz Alam.

Action will be taken against the people responsible, said the OC.