Teen Dalit girl beaten to death by employer couple in Aminjikarai; her body bore branding scars

CHENNAI: A 14-year-old Dalit girl, who had been employed as a domestic help at a businessman's house in Aminjikarai for the past one year, was allegedly beaten to death on Thursday, the Deepavali day, by her employers who then dumped her body in their bathroom and fled.

According to police reports, the businessman and his wife often assaulted the girl. The couple allegedly branded her with a hot iron for “slacking” at work, which is evident from the scars on her body.

Six persons, including the couple and their friends and family members, have been detained by the Aminjikarai police in connection with the girl's death.

The couple -- Mohammed Nishadh (35) and his wife Nazia -- had employed the girl, a Thanjavur native, to take care of their six-year-old child as well as manage household chores. Mohammed runs a used-car business in the city.

On Thursday, the girl collapsed after the couple and one of Mohammed's friends assaulted her. Seeing the girl unconscious, they panicked and dumped her body in the bathroom and went to stay at a relative’s place, police sources said. The couple, with the help of Mohammed's friend, reached out to a lawyer and approached the police, claiming that the girl fell unconscious and they left in panic.

Police found branding scars on her and sent her body for post mortem.

The girl’s mother is a widow, and Mohammed had hired her through his sister, police said. A probe revealed that the couple had been harsh on the girl for more than six months, assaulting her whenever they thought she was 'slacking' at work. Investigations also revealed that on Deepavali day, another couple who were visiting them also assaulted the girl.

Aminjikarai Police, who have registered a case and are investigating, said they are likely to invoke the SC/ST (Prevention of atrocities) Act against the accused.