Hyderabad woman, working as maid in Saudi, died of TB: MEA

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Monday said their embassy in Riyadh was told by King Saud Chest Disease Hospital that 25-year-old Hyderabadi woman, who was working as a maid in Saudi Arabia, died of 'tuberculosis and multi organs failure'.

An MEA statement said Indian embassy representative, who visited the hospital to inquire into the matter, was told by the mortuary in-charge that Hyderabadi woman Asima Khatoon was admitted to the hospital on April 27 and later shifted to the ICU.

"On receipt of information, our Embassy in Riyadh sent one of its officials to King Saud Chest Disease Hospital, Riyadh, one of the reputed hospitals for TB, today (on Monday). The death was due to natural reasons and he was informed that all the requisite documents have been handed over to the sponsor for submission to the Embassy," the statement said.

Khatoon's employer claimed that she worked with him for about four months and 16 days and he has deposited her salary with the embassy.

Khatoon, who went to Saudi Arabia to work as a house maid, was allegedly tortured by her employer. She later succumbed to her injuries while undergoing treatment at the hospital.

Asima's mother was informed about her death on Thursday by an unidentified caller from Riyadh.

Asima reportedly used to tell her family over phone about the torture she was subjected to by her employer.

Three days before her death, Chief Secretary of Telangana Rajiv Sharma had made a request in writing at the behest of Asima's family to rescue her from the clutches of her employer and repatriate her back to Hyderabad.

Asima, a resident of Shah Colony in Dabeerpura, had left for Riyadh in December 2015 on a 'house maid' visa procured via an agent.