Maid arrested after allegedly dipping baby's hand into boiling water
Employer says suspect was caught on video dipping her daughter's hand in boiling water
A maid has been arrested after she allegedly dipped the hand of a 16-month-old baby girl repeatedly into boiling water.
The 30-year-old from Myanmar, who had worked for the family for about a month, was caught on video appearing to dip the baby's hand into a pot on the stove about four times.
The toddler, who could be heard wailing loudly in the 45-second clip, suffered second-degree burns.
The police said yesterday that the maid was arrested for voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous means at about 10.50am last Wednesday at a housing block in north-eastern Singapore.
The child's mother posted pictures of her daughter's burns on Facebook on Tuesday.
The New Paper is not naming the parties involved to protect the child's identity.
In the post, the mother, a 40-year-old accountant, said the incident happened on Jan 14 when the maid was alone in the flat with her two daughters.
She said the family had hired the maid about a month ago and told her that looking after the baby was her main responsibility.
Her eight-year-old daughter called the father at about 5.20pm to tell him the baby had been scalded. He rushed home and took the baby to the nearest clinic. The doctor there said the burns were serious and told him to take the child to the hospital immediately.
Pictures of the baby's injuries showed large blisters on her arm and hand, with patches of raw flesh and peeling skin.
The mother said in her post: "I questioned the maid, and she said it was an accident.
"We chose to believe her even when the doctor at the hospital had some doubts as to the cause of the burns."
The next morning, she found the maid had packed up and was insisting on being sent back to the agency.
"I kept assuring her that we never blamed her as it was just an accident. But she was very insistent so I called the agency."
After calling the agency, the mother said she felt something was amiss and decided to check the surveillance footage of their home. She was horrified when she saw what the maid had allegedly done and immediately called the police.
The maid claimed the agent at the employment agency had told her to hurt the baby if she wanted to return to her country.
The mother said she has made a police report against the agent, who had allegedly threatened and harassed her.
In a Facebook post last night, the Ministry of Manpower said it is investigating the employment agency for a possible breach of the Employment Agencies Act.
The employer said she would not be disclosing details of the agency in her post.
"But I plead with all of you to keep a close eye on your domestic helpers," she said.
"There is nothing I want more than justice for my daughter."
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