Maid tortured by employer dies in hospital

LAHORE: A teenage maid tortured by her employer died in hospital here on Wednesday. The female servant who fell unconscious and ill due to torture of her employer died in Children Hospital. Victim Muskan's father alleged that her daughter died due to torture. He doubted that she was also raped. Muskan Bibi worked in the house of one Ahmad Shakeel Bhatti on Temple Road who reportedly would subject her to severe torture. On the day of the incident, her condition deteriorated. Her employer (employers) sent her to Children's Hospital with his driver. The victim died in the hospital. Medical staff of the hospital found severe marks of torture and old wounds on her body and informed the police. The police arrested the driver who told the police that he worked for one Qadeer who lived in Gulberg in Ghalib Market police limits.

Police also took Qadeer into custody who told that the victim worked in the house of Ahmad Shakeel Bhatti on Temple Road. Police arrested all three suspects and registered a case.

The body was moved for autopsy. Muhammad Akram, father of the victim, said his daughter worked in the house of Ahmad Shakeel Bhatti, living in Gulberg, for monthly salary of Rs10,000. He said Bhatti would regularly arrange him a talk with his daughter. However, for the last few days he had not been responding to his phone calls, he said and added that Bhatti two days back at midnight told him on phone that his daughter was critically ill and he should take her to home.

He said when he reached home, he came to know that Bhatti’s driver took her Children Hospital in an unconscious condition. Akram said his daughter had marks of torture on her body. She was chained, he alleged and doubted that his daughter was also raped. DIG Operations Dr Abid Khan said police were investigating the matter.

In another incident in Nishter Colony, a maid was found dead hanging in the house of her employer under suspicious circumstances in State Life Insurance Society. A police team moved the body to morgue for autopsy.

According to initial investigation, the victim was frustrated after being scolded by her employer. Police said the cause of death would be ascertained after autopsy. In another incident, parents of a maid accused her employer of assaulting their daughter in the Cantonment area.