Note thrown from balcony leads to rescue of maid

AN INDONESIAN maid who was 'locked up' on the balcony of a condominium unit in Petaling Jaya for a week was finally rescued by police.

The 21-year-old was only given a pillow and a mattress, and suffered whenever it rained as she had no shelter.

The woman's plight only came to light when she managed to write a note pleading for help and tossed it from the balcony.

Following that, a team from Bukit Aman CID Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants (Atipsom) division (D3) raided the condominium unit in Mutiara Damansara at about 5pm on Sunday.

Criminal investigation department assistant director Soffian Santong said the 21-year-old victim was hired by a local family and had only been working for a week.

However, instead of giving her a room to live in, they placed her outside, on the balcony.

"She was to remain there, and the door to the balcony was locked from the inside," he said when contacted on Monday (June 10).

The victim was only allowed inside the condominium unit between 5am and 11am when she was instructed to clean the unit, he said.

Soffian said the victim had yet to be paid as she was only working for the family for about a week.

"The victim was given food and drinks three times a day, but every day she would be scolded by her employer and locked up."

He also said a 69-year-old woman, believed to be the employer, was arrested in connection with the case which is being investigated under Section 12 of the Atipsom Act 2007 and Section 55B of the Immigration Act 1956/63. – The Vibes, June 10, 2024