-          Burned & hacked on a regular basis

-          Body mutilated beyond recognition

-          Running away and lying senseless by the roadside was her only escape

-          Abuser housewife arrested

When 23-year-old Taslima Khatun was rescued from the roadside fighting for life, little did police and locals knew of the horrors she had faced in her life as a domestic help.

But after she recovered a little at the hospital, tales of brutality unfolded.

Hailing from Gazipur, Taslima had gone to work as a housemaid at the Kheyaghat road residence of Pabna college teacher Imam Hossain two months ago. But, unable to bear the torture she had no other option but to flee.

"I could not bear the inhuman torture," Taslima told police and reporters. She said she tried to escape but could not get far because of her physical condition and hunger.

"She (the housewife) beat me and chopped me with a boti (a curved kitchen knife). She also burned my skin with a khunti (a utensil made of iron used to cook)," Taslima alleged.

When she was speaking before the media, the sight was mostly unpleasant because of the exposing torture marks on her skin that had mutilated her extremely.

"We heard screaming from inside the house sometimes. We knew someone was being tortured inside," said Subroto Chakrabarti, the landlord of the building.

Police rescued her from Kheyaghat road around 10:00pm on Monday, Md Ahsanul Haque, officer-in-charge of Pabna Sadar Police Station, said. "There were gashes on her hands and her body bore several injury marks".

"Locals spotted her lying by the roadside fighting for life and informed police. She was later admitted to Pabna General Hospital that night," the OC said.

Kamrunnahar Moushumi, the alleged abuser housewife, was later arrested by police but she refused to admit inflicting torture on Taslima. "I never tortured her. If she alleges such, what can I do?"

Iamam Hossain, Moushumi's husband and an assistant professor at the history department of Pabna Government Bulbul College, also denied allegations of torture and said Taslima went missing since last Saturday. "We filed a missing diary with the police, but she was not found".

Pabna unit Bangladesh Mohila Parishad took charge of Taslima's treatment and legal process. Its President Kamrunnahar Joly filed a case against the housewife in this connection last Tuesday.

Moushumi has been shown arrested in the case and taken into custody, OC Ahsan said. Her husband was also primarily held but later released because he was not an accused in the case.