Woman arrested for beating maids

JAKARTA (JP): Central Jakarta Police have arrested a woman for allegedly beating three housemaids who were accused of stealing 435 grams of gold jewelry, an officer said yesterday.

Central Jakarta police precinct chief Lt. Col. Iman Haryatna said the suspect, Hani, had been detained for questioning.

Iman said Hani was arrested Thursday after she sent the three housemaids -- Ranti, Laras and Rita -- to the police precinct to report the theft.

Police officers became suspicious when they noticed the three maids, who were employed by Gina, a resident of Kramat Lontar in Central Jakarta, had contusions on their faces, he said.

Hani admitted that she took the three maids to a house in Bekasi for questioning after Gina told her on Jan. 28 that the three had allegedly stolen her gold jewelry.

"The three maids were locked in a room for two days. When they didn't admit to the theft, Hani beat them," Iman said.

After failing to get a confession from the maids, both Hani and Gina later decided to hand them over to the police, he said.

After interviewing Hani, police arrested her for assaulting the maids and keeping them against their will, he added.

Hani could be sentenced to a maximum of two years in prison if found guilty of assaulting the three maids, Iman said. (emf)