Woman arrested for ‘confining, assaulting domestic help’ in Noida

Noida The Gautam Budh Nagar police arrested a 40-year-old woman on Wednesday for allegedly assaulting her 20-year-old domestic help and confining her at a high-rise apartment in Noida’s Sector 121

Noida The Gautam Budh Nagar police arrested a 40-year-old woman on Wednesday for allegedly assaulting her 20-year-old domestic help and confining her at a high-rise apartment in Noida’s Sector 121. While the woman, Shefali Koul, was booked on Monday, she was arrested from her residence in Cleo County on Wednesday night.

Purported CCTV footage of Shefali Koul, who is an advocate, assaulting Anita in an elevator a fortnight ago, has surfaced on social media websites. HT has not independently verified the authenticity of the footage.

The incident came to light on Monday after the domestic help, Anita, a resident of Garhi Chaukhandi village in Noida, tried to escape from Koul’s fourth-floor apartment in Cleo County society using a rope. However, passersby saw her and informed the police, prompting a team to reach the spot, police said. Anita was then escorted to the police station and her family informed of the matter.

Purported CCTV footage of Koul, who is an advocate, assaulting Anita in an elevator a fortnight ago, has surfaced on social media websites. HT has not independently verified the authenticity of the footage.

Koul had been missing since Monday, when the First Information Report in the case registered, and was only arrested when she returned to her apartment on Wednesday night, according to SM Khan, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central Noida).

Koul was initially booked under Indian Penal Code sections 344 (illegal confinement beyond 10 days), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 504 (insult) on the basis of a complaint by Anita’s father, Padam Singh, at the Phase-3 police station.

“However, after a medical examination of the domestic help, charges under section 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide) have been added to the FIR as she has suffered grievous injuries, along with relevant sections of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act,” said the officer.

According to the complaint, Anita was working at Koul’s house for the past six months. “My daughter worked at Koul’s house and their agreement expired on October 31. However, Koul did not let Anita leave and forced her to continue to work. She took away my daughter’s phone and assaulted her and forced her to do all household work. When Anita refused to work and asked to go home, Koul assaulted her and thwarted her attempts to escape,” said Singh’s complaint.

Koul was produced before a court on Thursday and sent to judicial custody, said police officers.