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Indian 'woman has hand chopped off by Saudi Arabian employers'

Kasturi Munirathinam was reportedly atatcked by her employers when she tried to escape from their home'

Alexandra Sims
Friday 09 October 2015 16:06 BST
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Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj has described the alleged incident as "unacceptable"
Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj has described the alleged incident as "unacceptable"

India’s foreign ministry has demanded answers from Saudi Arabian authorities after a woman reportedly had her hand chopped off by her employers.

Kasturi Munirathinam’s right hand was chopped off while she attempted to escape from her employer’s home last week, according to Indian media reports.

58-year-old Ms Munirathinam, who was working as domestic staff in Saudi Arabia, is understood to be recovering in a hospital in Riyadh after the incident, according to the Indian Express.

Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj wrote on Twitter: "Chopping of hand of Indian lady - We are very much disturbed over the brutal manner in which Indian lady has been treated in Saudi Arabia.”

“This is unacceptable. We have taken this up with Saudi authorities. Our embassy is in touch with the victim."

Ms Munirathinam’s family, from Chinnai, Southern India, has claimed she was tortured by her Saudi employers.

They said her employers were “angered” after she complained of the “harassment” she was facing at her employer’s home, where she had been working for three months.

Ms Munirathinam’s son, S Kumar, told BBC Hindi that while employed with the family his mother was banned from speaking to him over the phone, not given proper food and made to work long hours.

Her sister, S Vijayakumari, said: “Now my sister can't even sit and do simple things on her own, as her spinal cord has also been injured”.

Differing from Ms Swaraj’s statement, Ms Vijayakumari has claimed that her sisters arm, rather than hand, was chopped off in the incident.

The family are asking the Indian government to secure compensation from the Saudi employers, help to pay Ms Munirathinam’s medical expenses and her secure return to India.

Saudi authorities have not yet commented on the incident and the official Saudi Press Agency did not immediately report on the case.

Additional reporting by Associated Press

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