Delhi Family Assaults Domestic Help on Suspicion of Theft; Police Files Case

Representational image of Delhi Police.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

(Trigger Warning: Mentions of physical assault and suicide. If you feel suicidal or know someone in distress, please reach out to them with kindness and call these numbers of local emergency services, helplines, and mental health NGOs)

The Delhi Police has registered a case against a family in south Delhi for allegedly assaulting their domestic help in their house on the suspicion of theft. The incident occurred on 9 August, when the family took the help of an occultist to find out who had stolen from their house around 10 months ago, reported NDTV.

After performing some rituals, the occultist accused the domestic help of the theft, following which the family stripped her in front of other domestic helpers working in the house, beat her up, and locked her in a room for 24 hours, the police told NDTV. The victim then consumed rat poison after which her condition deteriorated. The family took her to a hospital where the incident was reported to the police.

On the basis of the victim's statement, a case was registered by Delhi Police on 11 August.

How Did It Unfold?

The victim – a 43-year-old woman – lives with the family at a luxurious farmhouse in Ansal Villas, Satbari. She has been working as the domestic help for the family since the last two years, the police said.

They further added that a theft took place at the same farmhouse few months ago. In order to find the thief, the family resorted to consulting an occultist.

The occultist performed a ritual and asked the accused to feed rice and lime to all the domestic helpers in the house. He said that the person whose mouth turned red after eating it was the thief, the police added, as reported by NDTV.

The victim's face turned red after eating the rice, following which the female owner started beating her up. She stripped the victim and locked her in a room. The next day, the victim asked for her clothes in order to use the washroom, where she tried to die by suicide by consuming rat poison.

The accused family then took her to a hospital after which her condition deteriorated.

(With inputs from NDTV.)