2 married couples arrested for abusing their maid in Johor after videos of assault go viral

Two married couples in Johor Bahru, Malaysia have been arrested for allegedly abusing their maid, The New Straits Times (NST) reported on Monday (June 15).

Videos and photos of the assault, believed to have taken place in July last year, have circulated widely on social media, with one Facebook post on June 12 garnering more than 12,000 shares, over 2,000 likes and more than 1,300 comments.

In videos of the alleged abuse accompanying the post, a maid can be seen sitting at the end of a couch, receiving admonishment from two women, reportedly sisters.

One of the women steps up to the maid, and hits and kicks her repeatedly.

Later, two men — husbands of the sisters — walk up to the maid, and one of them grabs her hair as he continues to scold her. He then slaps her face.

The other husband then delivers punches to the maid in her midriff.

A separate video shows the same man stepping on the maid with his left foot, raining down blows on her before his wife steps in to urge restraint.

Photos uploaded with the post show the maid's alleged injuries, including multiple cuts and bruises on her face and body.

@asiaone Two domestic helpers allegedly mistreated by their employers in Malaysia have been rescued and are now under the protection of the Indonesian consulate. The case surfaced after a viral video triggered public outrage, leading to the detention of four individuals. #news #Malaysia #Indonesia #crime #rescue ♬ original sound - AsiaOne

Johor police chief Ab Rahaman Arsad told reporters on Sunday that the four suspects, aged 30 to 34, were arrested at their home in Taman Johor at around 7.30pm on Saturday.

The suspects are two married couples staying in the same home, and the wives are sisters, he stated.

"The incident came to light when footage of the assault made rounds on social media," the police chief said, adding that the suspects' motives are still being investigated, The Star reported.

"We believe there are two other Indonesian maids who are victims of similar assault, and efforts are ongoing to trace them."

Rahaman said the other victims, in their twenties, are believed to have fled to their former employers, and police are seeking them to assist in investigations, Free Malaysia Today reported.

"All four suspects do not have criminal records and they tested negative for drugs," Rahaman added.

Two maids under protection

Two of the three maids who were allegedly abused have reportedly been placed under the protection of the Indonesian Consulate General and provided with temporary housing, NST reported.

One of the women, identified as YY, told officers that she and the other maids were abused towards the end of last year until January this year.

The three maids were then abandoned around the Kampung Melayu Majidee area in Johor, according to NST.

The trio then split up as two wanted to continue working in Johor, while one wanted to work in Kuala Lumpur, the spokesman of the Consulate General said, adding that all three of them were working in Malaysia illegally.

Their employers had allegedly kept their passports, preventing them from reporting the abuse to the authorities.

The Consulate General is working to trace the maid who went to Kuala Lumpur to protect her, as well as provide lodging and legal advice for all three, NST reported.

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