Delhi: Domestic help stripped, thrashed by employers at occultist's indication

A 43-year-old house help was allegedly stripped and thrashed by her employers to force her to confess that she stole some jewellery from the house, after an occultist accused the woman of theft, police said on Monday.

One person in connection with the incident has been arrested, they said.

Police got the information about the incident Wednesday from Cronus Hospital where the woman was admitted, a senior police officer said.

Police reached the Chattarpur hospital where it was revealed that the woman, a resident of Ansal Villa, Satbari, was admitted after consuming some poisonous substance at her employer’s house.

Initially, she was declared unfit for the statement, but later narrated the whole matter, the officer said.

She alleged that she was physically assaulted and beaten up by her owner and other members of her owner’s family to extract a confession that she stole some jewellery from the house 10 months ago, the officer said.

She said she consumed poison because the humiliation was unbearable to her, police said.

According to police, the family had called an occultist on August 9 to know who stole the jewellery.

As part of the sham, the occultist gave the servants rice and limestone powder and said whichever person's mouth will turn red, he or she will be the thief.

The victim's mouth turned red and the occultist declared her the thief, they said.

The owners of the house took her to a room and pressured her to accept that she stole the jewellery. She was allegedly stripped and thrashed by them, police said.

At some point, the victim asked them if she could go to the washroom. They gave her permission and her clothes.

When released, she found some poison and consumed it, police said.

A case was registered under relevant sections on Thursday at Maidan Garhi Police Station and investigation was taken up.

On Friday as other facts surfaced, more sections were added in the case, police said.

On Monday, one of the accused, Seema Khatoon, 28, a resident of Ansal Villa, Satbari, was arrested.

Efforts are being made to arrest the remaining accused persons, police added.