The domestic help claims to be pushed over by employers
A minor domestic help cheated death yesterday after falling from a seven-storey building while trying to escape from the house he was confined to on charge of theft in Wari in the capital.
Nine-year-old Shahidul Islam was seriously injured and is struggling for life at Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
Son of day labourer Abdul Khaleq of Kurigram, Shahidul was serving in the house of fabrics businessman Motiur Rahman Montu of Larmini Street for last one month at Tk 600 a month.
Although he was only nine years old, he had to keep clean the stairs of the entire seven-storey building, his housemaster’s flat on the fifth floor, the roof and the utensils.
Locals say the boy was kept confined for allegedly fleeing off the house stealing some money.
They add although he fell from the top of the seven-storey building, he survived as he first fell on some banana plants and later rolled down on the ground.
During a visit to the spot where the boy fell, two banana plants were found smashed as the boy first fell on those.
Talking to The Daily Star, the boy alleged his housemistress Parveen Begum threw him from the building top at around 10:30am as he went to see his rickshaw-puller brother at Jatrabari on Sunday and stayed there for two days.
But relatives of Parveen, who has gone into hiding along with her husband and other family members, claim the boy might have fallen down when he tried to escape the house by climbing down a pipe.
Her aunt Lovely Begum, who also resides on the second floor of the building, told The Daily Star that Parveen’s family members had kept the boy confined to a room as he fled on Sunday stealing money.
Asked, Lovely said the boy however returned after two days.
Shahidul denied the allegation of stealing money and said he went to his elder brother Maidul to hand him over his monthly salary.
“As my return was delayed, they beat me up, kept me confined to a room overnight and threw me down from top of the building,” said Shahidul.
“Moments after I was thrown down, I discovered myself lying on the ground. I cried for drawing attention of the locals. As no-one came forward, I walked somehow and hired a rickshaw for my brother’s house. But before I could reach there, I fainted on the way,” he added.
The rickshaw-puller, with the help of pedestrians, informed his brother and admitted him to DMCH, he continued.
Contacted, Sutrapur police said they have heard of the incident, but no-one filed any complaint.
Courtesy of The Daily Star
