Noida: woman booked for holding domestic help hostage, beating her, say police

A woman residing in a Noida housing complex has been accused of holding hostage and assault a domestic help.

A video went viral on social media which purportedly showed the employer forcibly holding the help in an elevator. After a few seconds, she is seen allegedly dragging the help out of the lift.

Noida police said that they rescued the 20-year-old domestic help on 27 December 2022, and filed a case against the employer identified as Shefali Koul, an advocate.

The incident occurred in Cleo County, Sector 121.

Koul has been booked under sections 344 (illegal confinement beyond 10 days), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 504 (insult) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), police said.

According to the help's father, who lodged the complaint with the Phase 3 police station, his daughter had a six-month work contract with Koul which ended on October 31.

"After the contract ended, my daughter wanted to leave her place but she did not let her go. She held my daughter hostage at her home where she assaulted her and hurled abuses at her," the complainant alleged.

On 27 December, the woman was trying to escape from Koul's fourth-floor apartment using a rope when someone informed the police, he said.

"My daughter was then brought to the local police station," the father said.

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(With PTI inputs)