Villagers and officers united to rescue an abused live-in domestic worker in West Bandung regency over the weekend, leading to the arrest of her two employers.
On Saturday, neighbors saw 29-year-old Rohimah screaming for help from behind the window of the house where she worked in Cilame Village. At the time, Rohimah, who had two black eyes, was locked in after her employers had gone outside.
In a video of her rescue, one village official crowbarred the front door of the house open, and Rohimah was greeted outside by neighbors, police, and military personnel.
Rohimah was rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment. Other than the two black eyes, police say a medical exam revealed that Rohimah suffered numerous bruises throughout her body, which she said were inflicted by her employers.
Neighbors said they often heard her crying inside the house in the past two to three months.
A separate video taken after the rescue shows the couple who employed Rohimah, identified as 29-year-old J and 28-year-old L, confronting her rescuers for breaking into their home. The couple denied they physically abused Rohimah but admitted they often locked Rohima in by herself when they went out.
The rescuers argued that the drastic measure was necessary as Rohimah’s well-being seemed under grave threat, after which the couple requested that the matter be settled without police involvement.
Their request was denied, as police arrested J and L on suspicion of domestic abuse, which could see them imprisoned for up to 10 years each.
Police are still interrogating the suspects to establish a motive, which they are set to reveal later today.
