27th May 2023 – (Kuala Lumpur) An Indonesian cleaning woman was subjected to several hours of confinement in chains inside a bathroom of a flat in Taman Tenaga, Selangor, Malaysia. The couple who employed her suspected her of stealing their jewellery and used a heavy chain to confine her as they searched her house for the missing items. The woman’s screams alerted nearby residents who called the police. Officers had to break down the door of the flat and cut through the chains before freeing the cleaning lady. The incident has since gone viral on social media.
According to Indonesian envoy Hermono, the woman was in a weakened state when she was freed and has gone missing since the incident. The couple, aged between 40 and 50, were arrested when they returned to the flat after they could not find the missing valuables in the victim’s house.
Selangor police chief Comm Datuk Hussein Omar Khan said that the married couple were detained in connection with the matter on Wednesday and remanded until yesterday. He added that the police are investigating under Section 342 of the Penal Code for wrongful confinement.
Hermono visited the police station and claimed that the couple had paid off the victim to settle the matter. He also expressed concern about the victim’s whereabouts and felt that the couple should be charged in court. “I have asked the police to find the victim as her statement is needed to charge the couple who abused her.
The incident has raised concerns about the treatment of foreign domestic workers in Malaysia. Many of these workers are vulnerable to abuse and exploitation due to their precarious legal status and lack of protection under the law.