PM seeks justice for Vellore maid from Saudi Arabia king

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who made the statement during Question Hour in Lok Sabha said Modi has sought justice for Kasthuri, whose arm was chopped off by her employer. The 56-year-old maid, from Mungileri village near Katpadi in Tamil Nadu, is now back home after the brutal attack in Riyadh in October. Modi raised the issue with Saudi Ruler King Salman Al Saud on the margins of the G20 Summit on November 16.

Swaraj said when the incident of Munirathnam came to light, the Indian Embassy contacted the Saudi Arabian authorities and insisted on registering an attempt to murder case. “However, the Saudi authorities soon issued a statement saying she fell down while trying to flee the house of her employer. We have not accepted this and continue to pursue the case to get her justice,” she said. The Minister said the government has already decided that all Indians going abroad as domestic help must go through government-registered recruitment agencies so that no exploitation takes place.