Domestic help tied to chair, beaten over suspicion of theft by women in UP, case registered

 A domestic help was allegedly tied to a chair and brutally assaulted by a group of women on suspicion of theft in Hardoi district, police said on Friday.

Videos of the incident, which have gone viral on social media, purportedly show the woman, identified as Upasana, being beaten with slippers, slapped and assaulted with sticks by several women.

In one of the videos, she is seen tied to a chair using a 'dupatta', while a woman allegedly presses a stick against her neck. The domestic help is in her 20s.

The assault allegedly took place on September 30 in Nexra Colony here, when Upasana, who worked as a domestic help at the house of Akanksha, was allegedly abused and assaulted by Akansha and other women in the family on suspicion of theft.

The accused allegedly forced her to confess to the theft, police said.

Based on a complaint filed by the victim, a case has been registered against five people -- Akanksha, her husband Ashish, Deepika, Soni and Vani under relevant provisions of the law, police said.

The victim is undergoing a medical examination, while police teams are conducting raids to arrest the accused, they added.