Woman whose hand was chopped-off in Saudi returns

Kasturi Munirathnam, whose hand was chopped off by her employers in Saudi Arabia, arrived here on Saturday.

"Ms. Kasturi Munirathnam arrived in Chennai and was reunited with her family today morning," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a tweet.

The MEA also assured that the Indian Mission in Riyadh would continue to pursue her case in Saudi Arabia.

Upon her arrival, Kasturi was not allowed to meet the media or her family members but taken to the Rajiv Gandhi General Hospital in Chennai.

"We eagerly came here to see her, but police didn't allow us to meet her. She said she wanted to talk to the media but was denied. Even we couldn't see her properly, but she was fine. She was the only earning hand in her family and they all depended on her," said Kasturi's nephew Jayaram Babu.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa has announced a financial assistance of Rs. 10 lakhs for Kasturi.

Kasturi's daughter, Selvi, thanked Jayalalithaa for helping her mother and said she had returned home after a great deal of suffering.

"We thank all the people who helped to bring her back especially the CM Amma (Jayalalithaa), we thank her a lot. We hear that she still needs some rest and hope she becomes well. We are eagerly waiting to meet her," Selvi said.

The fifty-eight-year-old Kasturi had gone to Saudi Arabia to work as a domestic help, hoping that the promised monthly salary of Rs.23,000 would help her to marry off her three daughters, but instead of receiving the promised salary, her employer had her right hand chopped off when the Saudi Arabian authorities warned him about receiving a complaint from Kasturi and asked him to clear her outstanding dues.

Kasturi suffered other injuries on her body and limbs, and was being treated at the Kingdom Hospital in Riyadh before her return to India.

Kasturi hails from North Arcot in Vellore District and had reached Saudi Arabia two months ago.

An investigation into the incident was carried out by the Al-Sahafa police initially and later on handed over to the Saudi Investigation Bureau, reports from Riyadh said.

Kasturi is the sole breadwinner of her family, which consists of her ailing husband, three daughters and a son.