Teenage domestic worker beaten up by employer dies

Hanif was beaten up for dropping his employer's child by accident

KARACHI: Police registered on Friday a case against a female employer over allegedly killing a teenage domestic worker by beating him up. The accused managed, however, to escape.

A 16-year-old boy, Hanif, died after he was severely beaten by his employer, identified as Anila Imran, at her home in Malir Cantonment Phase I. The police registered an FIR No 85/16 under Section 302 (murder) of the Pakistan Penal Code against the employer on behalf of the victim's brother, Ali Muhammad.

"My brother worked at her bungalow as a domestic worker for the past 10 years," said Muhammad. "He [Hanif] was ill and asked for a leave but she did not allow him," he said, adding that Imran instead asked Hanif to take care of her son.

Due to his illness, Hanif lost hold of the child who fell down.

On Wednesday, after Imran's son fell down, she started shouting at Hanif out of anger and started beating him up severely with sticks, Muhammad said, quoting Hanif.

"My brother called me and narrated the story," Muhammad explained. "I immediately took him to Civil hospital for medical treatment," he said

The doctors released Imran after providing the necessary treatment after which, Muhammad took his brother to a house where his condition started to get critical on Thursday.

"Again, I took him for treatment at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) where doctors tried to save his life but he did not survive," said Muhammad.

Torture marks appeared on Hanif's body, however, the doctors have reserved his post-mortem report for a chemical examination, according to JPMC medico-legal officer Dr Sheraz. Meanwhile, police officials said that a case has been registered and the police are looking for the accused woman.

"The woman used to live alone as her husband is a landlord who usually stays in rural Sindh," said Malir Cantonment SHO AD Chaudhry, adding that she was living in a rented house and has disappeared since the incident occurred.

The police are looking for her and also trying to get information about her with the help of the Malir Cantonment authorities, said SHO Chaudhry.

The Malir Cantonment authorities provided the police with information about the rented house, he added.

Hanif's family took his body to their hometown, Mirpurkhas, for the burial.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 23^rd, 2016.