Bangladesh cricketer Shahadat Hossain and his wife have been charged with physically torturing a 11-year-old maid, who was working in their house as a domestic help.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) suspended Hossain from any form of cricket until further notice, and the fast bowler faces a potential 14 years in jail, if found guilty. He might have to pay a hefty fine along with the jail term as well.
Mahfuza Akhter, the victim, was found in the streets of Mirpur, Dhaka with multiple injuries and also a broken leg earlier this year.
"They used to beat me with sticks, kitchen utensils, punch me, and scratch me. I would be slapped a lot. My uncle had no job, my grandmother was sick, we didn't have any money. There was no option but to send me to the house to work. They wouldn't give me proper food. They'd usually give me leftovers or food that had gone bad," Akhter was quoted as saying by CNN.
"When the house maid came inside the house, she opened the door. While the door was open, I ran out of the house. I was in a lot of pain. While I was walking on the road, people were staring at me. I covered my eye because it was bruised and it was hurting. At one point, I got exhausted and I sat down by the side of the road."
Police submitted charges against Shahadat Hossain and his wife Nritto Shahadat to the Dhaka metropolitan magistrates court on Tuesday. The couple has been charged under Section 4 (ii) b of the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act.
Earlier in October, Shahadat Hossain had filed a complaint to the police, saying that his maid had gone missing. After some time the maid accused the cricketer and his wife of torturing her physically. Shahadat absconded for a few days, before surrendering to the police. He was taken to court, where his bail plea was rejected leading to him spending some time in prison.
Earlier this month, both the husband and the wife were granted bail until 12 January, 2016 on humanitarian grounds as they have a baby girl.
