Maid assaulted by employer dies at hospital

New Delhi: A maid, who was physically assaulted allegedly by her employer in northwest Delhi’s Mukherjee Nagar area, died today at a private hospital.

The accused employer, Atul Kr Lohia, was arrested three days back after the condition of the maid deteriorated.

Lohia was later released on bail.

“The accused employer was arrested three days back since the condition of the woman was deteriorating. A medical board will conduct post mortem of her body to ascertain the exact cause of her death. Section 304(culpable homicide) has been added to the case registered in this regard earlier,” said a senior police officer.

DCW chief Swati Maliwal took to Twitter to share news of the maid’s death.

“Terrible. She has died due to brutal beatings by employer. Section 302 shud be added to FIR. Placement agency need to be regulated in Delhi!” she tweeted.

The placement agency owner, Ganesh Burman, and a woman agent were also arrested in connection with the matter.

The alleged woman agent, Saraswati, who had brought the maid from her employer’s home after she was “physically assaulted was also arrested last month.

It was found that Barman used to lure women through agents from areas like West Bengal on the pretext of jobs in Delhi.

Saraswati, who claimed to be her relative, brought her from her employer’s home and kept her in a room, police said.

The maid was suffering from tuberculosis and when her condition deteriorated, Saraswati took her to RML hospital and left, they added.

Police said the agent and the placement agency owner allegedly used to threaten to file cases against employers of the maids and extort money from them.

The maid’s mother had also come from West Bengal and had been taking care of her daughter who was later shifted to a private hospital where she died today.