RIYADH: Asima Khatoon, a 25-year-old Indian housemaid in Riyadh, had died of natural causes, not torture as a section of Indian media erroneously reported, the Indian Embassy said on Wednesday.
Her death had followed claims by some newspapers in India that the injuries she suffered at the hands of her employer in Riyadh resulted in her death.
“We followed Asima’s case at the King Saud Thoracic Hospital where she died,” an embassy official at the Community Welfare Section said.
He added that Asima’s family had made a request for the body and that the embassy had issued a no objection certificate for that.
“The body will be transported to Hyderabad in the next three days.”
Earlier, the torture claims were also refuted by India’s Ministry of External Affairs, which said Asima died while undergoing treatment for tuberculosis.
Vikas Swarup, MEA spokesman, said the embassy sent an official to the hospital where medics told him that Asima had been admitted on April 27 and was moved to the ICU where she died due to multiple organ failure.
However, family members, including the maid’s mother Ghousia Khatoon, alleged that the death was caused by injuries inflicted by her employers.
According to the Indian community members, Khatoon was from a poor background and was the lone breadwinner in her family. When she was offered a monthly wage of SR1,000 (about Rs 18,000), she came to the Kingdom in December last year.
Her death had followed claims by some newspapers in India that the injuries she suffered at the hands of her employer in Riyadh resulted in her death.
“We followed Asima’s case at the King Saud Thoracic Hospital where she died,” an embassy official at the Community Welfare Section said.
He added that Asima’s family had made a request for the body and that the embassy had issued a no objection certificate for that.
“The body will be transported to Hyderabad in the next three days.”
Earlier, the torture claims were also refuted by India’s Ministry of External Affairs, which said Asima died while undergoing treatment for tuberculosis.
Vikas Swarup, MEA spokesman, said the embassy sent an official to the hospital where medics told him that Asima had been admitted on April 27 and was moved to the ICU where she died due to multiple organ failure.
However, family members, including the maid’s mother Ghousia Khatoon, alleged that the death was caused by injuries inflicted by her employers.
According to the Indian community members, Khatoon was from a poor background and was the lone breadwinner in her family. When she was offered a monthly wage of SR1,000 (about Rs 18,000), she came to the Kingdom in December last year.
