A female domestic worker, 24, who returned from Saudi Arabia a month ago, has tried to commit suicide by ingesting insecticide at Shahjalal International Airport.
The incident occurred around 2pm on Tuesday.
Sheikh Tariqul Islam, an officer with the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment who was present at the airport, said he was informed of the condition of the woman by an airport cleaner who smelled the poison and found the woman.
According to the woman, she went to Saudi Arabia on March 17, 2016. During her stay, she worked at a home for eight months but received no payment. Seeking assistance from the Bangladesh Embassy in Saudi Arabia, she met a man who worked there. The man initially helped her, but later conned her by making promises of marriage.
After realizing his true intentions, she came back to Bangladesh on July 28, 2018.
She also said she went to many organizations for help, but found none. On Tuesday, she went to the airport around noon to meet the airport magistrate for help, and collect a piece of luggage that had been missing since her arrival.
However, despite extensive searching, she did not find the luggage, which she claims contained items worth over Tk4 lakh.
Around 2pm, she went inside a toilet and ingested the poison. She also left a note that held 4-5 people, including the man from the embassy, responsible in the event of her death.
Sheikh Tariqul Islam said: “We immediately took her to Kurmitola Hospital, where she was given primary treatment before being sent to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH). She was released from the hospital around 10pm, and I took her to a safe house afterwards.”
