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Saudi Arabia
Woman 'has hand chopped off' while trying to escape employer
The woman allegedly had tried to complain to her employer about torture and non-payment of wages.
INDIA HAS DEMANDED answers from Saudi Arabia after a maid there reportedly had her hand chopped off while trying to escape being harassed by her employer.
The Twitter account of Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had a series of messages about the case of Kasthuri Munirathinam, saying India was “very much disturbed over the brutal manner in which Indian lady has been treated in Saudi Arabia.”
Swaraj wrote that India had contacted Saudi authorities about the case.
The Indian Express reports that the woman is currently receiving treatment in Riyadh. Her sister Vijayakumari told the paper that the woman “complained about torture and non-payment of wages by her employer”.
The paper says the woman has four children and that she was forced to take the job abroad due to financial problems.
The official Saudi Press Agency did not immediately report on the case.
The incident has sparked outrage in India. In September, a Saudi Arabian diplomat accused of repeatedly raping and abusing two Nepalese maids left India under cover of diplomatic immunity.
- Additional reporting Aoife Barry
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