NOIDA: A lawyer accused of holding a full-time domestic staffer in confinement at her apartment here and thrashing her has been booked for attempt to commit culpable homicide and also under sections of the SC/ST Act.Shaifali Koul (40), who was also purportedly seen in footage from the housing society earlier this week repeatedly dragging the helper (20) out of an elevator even as the latter resisted, was arrested Wednesday night, police said. Koul was produced in court Thursday and sent to judicial custody. The helper, who police said suffered grievous injuries, had fashioned a rope from dupattas to escape from Koul’s fourth floor flat in the upscale Cleo County at 4am on December 26. Noida help who was beaten up has serious injuries: Police Once in the compound, the 20-year-old helper informed the tower’s guard and contacted her father, Padam Singh. In his police complaint, Singh claimed Koul had come to know about his daughter’s escape and dragged her back into the apartment before police rescued her.Additional DCP (Central Noida) Saad Miya Khan toldTOI Thursday Koul was initially booked under sections 344 (illegal confinement beyond 10 days), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 504 (insult) of the IPC. “However, after a medical examination of the victim, Section 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide) was added to the FIR as she suffered grievous injuries. We have also invoked relevant sections of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act,” said Khan.”On Wednesday night, she (Koul) returned to her apartment after which she was arrested by our team,” Khan added. The lawyer, police said, had left the apartment after the incident.The 20-year-old woman had been working at Koul’s house since April. Singh alleged her contract lapsed on October 31 but Koul refused to let her go, though his daughter said she did not want to continue. Singh claimed Koul cut off her communication channel by taking away her cellphone, forced her to do household chores and thrashed her when she protested. “There are many injury marks on my daughter’s body,” Singh said.Koul had earlier told TOI that the employee and her family had taken a Rs 50,000 loan from her in June and “started the drama” after she said she would deduct it from her salary. She accused the helper of spiking her food with sleeping pills and stealing jewellery before she escaped. She attributed the injuries to a “fall” while she climbed down from the flat.”Before the agreement was over, I had applied for a new domestic helper, but the agency informed me they will send one after December 25. So I sent an application to the women’s cell about her working in my house for the month of December due to some medical conditions I have. She also agreed,” the lawyer had said.
Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/noida/noida-lawyer-held-for-beating-up-help-booked-under-sc/st-act/articleshow/96606948.cms