UAE police question woman accused of pouring hot oil over maid

Staff at Al Qassimi hospital in Sharjah called police after a 23-year-old Ethiopian maid was admitted last month with first and second degree burns to her face, back and foot.

The 23-year-old Ethiopian maid was admitted last month with first and second degree burns to her face, back and foot. Courtesy of Al Ittihad

SHARJAH // Police have questioned a Moroccan woman who has been accused of pouring hot cooking oil over her maid.

Staff at Al Qassimi Hospital called police after the 23-year-old Ethiopian maid was admitted last month with first and second degree burns to her face, back and foot.

Officers have taken statements from the maid and her employer, said a police spokesman. Investigations are being carried out in coordination with Dubai Police, where the maid was living with her employer.

Dr Faisal Salam, a consultant from the department of plastic surgery at Al Qassimi, said: “The burns were both deep and some on the surface.

“We are providing the necessary treatment of which some would need a skin graft surgery to remove the burns.”

Dr Salam said the maid claimed she had been prevented from seeking medical aid in the past. She fled her employer’s home and travelled to Sharjah to seek treatment.

Negassi Gebreselassie, deputy consul general at the Ethiopian mission, said the maid was receiving medical support. “We have visited her and will provide her with help.”

He said the consulate had not yet spoken to the sponsor.