Noida 'maid mistreated'; housing society attacked

Terror engulfed an upscale residential society of Noida when an angry mob of over 100 villagers and neighbours of a 26-year-old domestic help pelted stones and stormed into Mahagun Moderne Society located at Sector 78, Noida, on Wednesday morning.

The young maid worked in some houses of the apartment and the crowd, armed with sticks, turned violent, alleging that the maid was being held hostage and beaten unconscious by her employers because they suspected her of stealing money. They demanded to know the whereabouts of the house help who they said had not returned home on Tuesday night.

The mob gathered outside the main gate of the society at 6:30 am and clashed with the private security guards posted outside the building. Some even managed to enter the premises with rods and pelted stones at the buildings. The chaos continued for over two hours before the situation was brought under control.

"Around 10-15 of them entered the house of the employer, Mitul Sethi, which is located at the ground floor of the low-rise building. They damaged their house, following which the family had to keep themselves locked up in the bathroom for over an hour", said a resident of Mahagun Moderne society.

Zohra, the domestic help, shared her ordeal and said that she had been working in the society for the past few months. A few days back her employer had accused her of stealing some money from the house.

"The woman employer called me up in the evening telling that she wants to settle my dues. But as I reached there, she started screaming and started hitting me badly. I became unconscious and couldn't remember anything after that" said Zohra.

There is utter confusion over what transpired as some of the reports said that she was held hostage inside the employer's home and another one said that she was locked inside the boot of a car.

However, Noida police officials said that the victim's husband gave us an oral complaint, of Zohra missing from her home on Tuesday night following which a police team went to the society but couldn't find her.

"We have received a complaint from victim's husband but there was no mention of Zohra being held hostage. The maid was found near the house in the morning and was taken to the hospital for treatment" said Noida Superintendent of Police Arun Kumar Singh.