'Burn marks all over her body': Father alleges months of torture on 11-year-old girl at Biman CEO's residence
He said his daughter has been struggling to speak properly and that doctors said her recovery could take at least two months.
An 11-year-old girl domestic help has been hospitalised with severe burn injuries and marks of physical abuse after allegedly being tortured for months while working at the Uttara residence of Biman Bangladesh Airlines Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Md Shafiqur Rahman, according to a case filed by her father.
The victim's father filed the child abuse case with Uttara West Police Station yesterday (2 February), accusing Shafiqur, his wife Bithi Akter, and several unidentified individuals of subjecting his daughter to prolonged and brutal torture. Police arrested Shafiqur, his wife, and two others, and a Dhaka court later ordered them to be sent to jail.
Speaking to Prothom Alo this afternoon (3 February), the father described his daughter's condition. "My daughter has injury marks on her neck, back, hands and legs – almost everywhere on her body. There are burn marks all over her body.
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"She was branded with a red-hot ladle," he said.
He added that his daughter has been struggling to speak properly and that doctors said her recovery could take at least two months.
The girl had been working since June last year at Shafiqur's residence.
According to her father, he lost his wife in a road accident when their daughter was just a year old and did not remarry. Facing financial hardship and concerned about his daughter's future, he agreed to send her to work at the Uttara home after being assured that she would be properly cared for and that the family would take responsibility for her future expenses, including her marriage.
The father, who works at a hotel in Ashulia, said he first met Jahangir Alam, a security guard at the residence, at a tea stall, who informed him that the household was looking for a domestic help to look after a child. He later met Rahman and his wife, who reiterated their assurances.
He said he last saw his daughter in good health on 2 November. After that, he was repeatedly denied access to her on various pretexts.
On 31 January, Bithi Akter allegedly called him and said the girl was ill and needed to be taken home. When he went to the residence that afternoon, he waited for several hours before the child was handed over to him in the evening.
The father said he found his daughter with serious injuries on both hands and multiple parts of her body.
When he asked how she had sustained the injuries, Bithi Akter allegedly failed to provide a clear explanation. The girl was later admitted to Gazipur Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmad Medical College Hospital for treatment.
Police said the arrests were made around 3:30am yesterday from Uttara. The accused were produced before the Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court later that day, which ordered them to be sent to jail.
The investigation into the allegations is ongoing.
