A housemaid whose video appealing for help after being tortured by her employer in Saudi Arabia, has returned home.
In a video that went viral on social media recently, Sumi Akter, from the northern district of Panchagarh, appealed for help claiming that she was being tortured since she had been “lured into the Kingdom with a promise of a good job” on May 30.
Sumi, landed on Dhaka's Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport by an Air Arabia flight on Friday (Nov 15) morning.
Officials of the Wage Earners’ Welfare Board (WEWB) received her at the airport before she was sent off to her parents’ house at Panchagarh's Boda Upazila under government transport facility.
Sumi’s husband Nurul Islam, however, came to receive her but was denied. Media were not also allowed to talk with her.
WEWB Director Mohammad Jahirul Islam told Bangla Tribune, “Local Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) and Upazila Parisad Chairman will hand over Sumi to her parents."
Asked why media was not allowed, Jahirul said that they were earlier informed that Sumi 'feels insecure for now
"She can't talk properly and seems to be very sick. So, we have sent her off to her parents’ house,” said Jahirul, who is a deputy secretary.
After the video posted on Facebook went viral, Sumi was rescued by the Saudi police following intervention of the Bangladesh Consulate in Jeddah.
But the employer denied her “final exit” before receiving compensation of 22,000 riyals which he paid for her.




The employer finally agreed after the issues were settled in a Saudi Arabia labour court.