Thane couple booked for torturing, starving 11-year-old domestic

Thane: In a shocking case, a local trader and his wife have been booked for torturing their 11-year-old domestic help. The young girl was badly beaten up, starved for days and force-fed chillies, police said.Accused Sarjil Ansari (36) was booked along with his wife Farhat (32) on Sunday after the minor girl approached police with the help of her neighbours in the housing complex at Ghodbunder Road, where she worked for the couple, police said today.[caption id="attachment_1338653" align="alignleft" width="380"] Representational image[/caption]According to personnel at the Mira Road Police Station, the couple had brought the victim to their house from Uttar Pradesh for domestic work.The maid servant, whose body bore several old and fresh injury marks, was allegedly frequently beaten over petty issues and starved for days at a time.The employers even forced her to eat chillies and rubbed her with them, if she would not obey their orders, the girl alleged in the complaint.Following the complaint, Sarjil was arrested. However, his wife is still at large, police said. Both have been charged under sections 323, 324, 374 of the IPC.Police sources said that the girl, who was promised a job in Mumbai household was "sold" to the couple by her parents for Rs 15,000, a fact which is still being probed.The girl is presently in the custody of a NGO, which rescued her, police said.PTI