An Indian housemaid has had her hand chopped off by her female employer in Saudi Arabia after she complained she had been tortured and had no food.
Kasturi Munirathinam has been earning just £150 a month whilst working as a cleaner for a household in the Saudi capital.
Since she started working in Riyadh, she said she had been tortured and deliberately deprived of food by her employers.
Her family had stated that when she tried to escape, her employer decided to punish her by cutting off her hand.
‘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 the Press Trust of India.
‘The incident happened after… she complained about torture and non-payment of wages by her employer.’ she said.
Ms Munirathinam was taken to hospital in Riyadh and her condition has now reportedly stabilised.
Indian foreign ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup has spoken out against the attack on the Indian woman, telling the Indian Express that India had launched an investigation into the attack and will ‘continue to seek justice for the victim’.
‘Our embassy in Riyadh has taken up the matter with the Saudi Foreign Office and asked for strict action in the matter and severe punishment for the sponsor,’ he said.
He said a case of attempted murder should be lodged against the sponsor ‘so that he is punished, if found guilty as per law.’
Read More: Assault on Indian maid by Saudi sponsor brutal, unacceptable: Sushma Swaraj
