Domestic dies from abuse

The 26-year-old woman had wounds and bruises all over her body

Malaysian police have detained the employers of a foreign maid who was dead upon arrival at a local hospital, and was later found to have multiple scars and wounds on her body, police said Monday.

The couple, aged in their 50s, had brought their 26-year-old maid to a hospital in Selangor state early Sunday where she was pronounced dead on arrival.

Following a post mortem, medical officers discovered that the maid had wounds and bruises all over her body, prompting police to detain the two suspects on Monday.

“A post mortem performed on Sunday evening revealed that the woman had both recent bruises and old scars on her back, forehead, and limbs,” said state criminal investigations chief Mohamad Adnan Abdullah.

Police have yet to release the nationality of the maid, who has been working in Malaysia since December 2008.

The couple will be investigated for murder, which carries the mandatory death sentence upon conviction.

Malaysia is home to more than 320,000 foreign domestic workers, mostly from Indonesia and the Philippines with an increasing number coming from Cambodia, Myanmar and Vietnam.

Rights groups say that every year, hundreds of maids lodge complaints against their employers ranging from alleged physical abuse to non-payment of salaries.