An Indian maid has claimed her employer in Saudi Arabia cut off her hand in punishment for poor work, after months of mistreatment in the kingdom.
Kashturi Munirathinam, 55, is being treated in a hospital in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, her family told Indian media.
Munirathinam travelled to Saudi Arabia from her home in a rural district of the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu three months ago to take up a job as a cleaner in a household in the eastern city of Dammam and then in Riyadh. She was to be paid about £150 a month.
“When she tried to escape harassment and torture, her right hand was chopped off by the woman employer. She fell down and sustained serious spinal injuries,” her sister, S Vijayakumari, told local media.
“The incident happened after … she complained about torture and non-payment of wages by her employer. Some neighbours and others took her to hospital,” relatives told the Indian Express newspaper.
“She has now been hospitalised in Riyadh and is in a serious condition, our appeal is please bring her back home immediately and help in her treatment.”
The woman is believed to have suffered spinal injuries in a fall from a balcony. In a video apparently filmed in hospital and uploaded to the internet, she describes the attack and her attempt to flee.
Sushma Swaraj, the Indian foreign minister, issued a statement on Friday about what she called the “chopping of hand of Indian lady”.
“We are very much disturbed over the brutal manner in which Indian lady has been treated in Saudi Arabia,” the statement, on Twitter, said.
Becoming a member of private household staff can provide an incredibly rewarding career for the right person, giving the chance to develop personal skills, develop lifelong relationships and also retain an air of sophistication.
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