<i>Young domestic help confined to room, tortured</i>

25 November 2009, 17:00 PM

Our Correspondent, Satkhira

Victim of brutalities by employer in the town, a 20-year-old domestic help is groaning in pain at Satkhira Sadar Hospital. The victim, Nazma Khatun, daughter of Sobhan Gazi of village Waria in Sadar upazila, worked at the house of Lipi Khatun, wife of Hiru Ahmed at Sultanpur in the town for the last two months, police quoted locals and the victim's parents as saying. Lying at the hospital bed, Nazma told this correspondent, "On November 18, my mistress confined me to a room over a trivial matter and started torturing me mercilessly." Lipi beat Nazma with iron rods, bruised her breasts and split her back, thigh and other areas of the body with blade, leaving her seriously injured. "My mistress tortured me off and on for even a few seconds delay in work," Nazma said. When Lipi Khatun with the help of her relative Tanzira Khatun was preparing to shift the victim to her parents' house at village Waria in a private car on Monday evening, neighbours informed police who rushed to the spot and rescued the victim in a critical condition. Several torture marks were found in her body, said police who admitted Nazma to Satkhira Sadar Hospital. Police also brought Lipi and her relative to the police station but later the two were released. Contacted on Tuesday afternoon, Sadar Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Kamruzzaman said, "As the victim's father Sobhan Gazi did not file any case till November 23 [Monday] night, we released Lipi Khatun on condition that she will surrender to the police station whenever asked." Later the victim's father filed a case with Sadar Police Station on Tuesday evening but the accused was not arrested as of yesterday afternoon.