A 13-year-old girl is undergoing treatment at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital after getting beaten and raped allegedly by her employer in the capital.
The victim, who identified herself as Tuni, was brought in to the hospital in a critical condition, sources at the DMCH said.
A native of Hatia, Noakhali, Tuni was employed as domestic help at the residence of Mansur Alam Chowdhury in the capital's North Kamalapur area under Shahjahanpur police station.
Sohel Rana, sub-inspector at Shahjahanpur police station, told the Dhaka Tribune that police had arrested Mansur, 35, an official of Hamid Group, for interrogation and a case would be filed in this regard when they had medical reports from the doctors and had contacted the victim's family.
“We are trying to collect information about Tuni's relatives from her employers and will contact them when we have the details,” he said.
“The girl could not give us any information as she is suffering from metal disorder due to the abuse,” he added.
Mansur's wife Nasima is admitted at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) where she has been receiving treatment for pregnancy-related complications for the last 10 days, according to police.
On Friday, Mansur brought Tuni to the hospital to help Nasima around, where he started scolding and beating Tuni all of a sudden.
“Alarmed by the noise, Ansar officials stationed at the hospital went to investigate and took Mansur and Tuni into custody,” said the sub-inspector.
In the custody of law enforcement officers, Tuni claimed that Mansur had sexually abused her every night since Nasima had been admitted to hospital.
“Some female Ansar officials then ran preliminary tests and found Tuni's claim to be true, and informed us,” Rana said.
On information, police then took custody of Tuni and admitted her at DMCH's Labour Ward around 5:30pm.
A duty doctor at DMCH told the Dhaka Tribune that Tuni had bite marks and other injuries on her vagina.
“We will send her to a One-Stop Crisis Centre for more tests and further treatment,” the doctors said.