Indian maid allegedly tortured to death in Saudi Arabia

A 25-year-old Indian woman has allegedly been tortured to death by her employers in Saudi Arabia and Indian authorities have initiated a probe into the matter. The incident comes against the backdrop of a similar case in which a maid's arm was chopped off.

Asima Khatoon was being treated at the King Saud hospital for chest-related diseases but passed away after the medical treatment could not save her.

Her family in the southern Indian state of Hyderabad has alleged Khatoon had undergone both mental and physical torture. The family was informed of the maid's death by an unknown caller from Riyadh.

"She went there and she was assaulted there. She was kept in a room, they did not feed her. She told me she was tortured and she asked me to bring her back at any cost," a family member was cited as saying by the News18 outlet.

Khatoon's stay was extended in Saudi Arabia by her employers illegally though her visa had expired. In a reported phone call a few weeks prior to the incident, she had asked her family to make arrangements for her return as she could not escape from her employers.

On behalf of the family, the Telangana state government had earlier asked India's external affairs ministry to intervene in the matter and rescue her.

In the past, there have been allegations of Saudi employers torturing their home maids, leading to serious calls for action against those abusing human rights.