Tema, April 1, GNA - The Tema Police Regional Command has ordered the arrest of a woman for allegedly causing serious bodily harm to her 11-year-old housemaid.

Lydia Nartey, 26, was alleged to have pushed Marku Narh, the housemaid, into boiling oil as a result of which she suffered severe facial burns. The police have also arrested Madam Victoria Narh, the mother of Lydia, who failed to report the crime to the police.

A police source said Victoria had employed and sacked seven maidservants over the past three years. Marku was brought in about a year ago to assist the family to sell fried yam in the evenings around Casino Cinema in Tema.

The source said on March nine, this year, Marku did her routine morning chores and in the evening went to assist Lydia to fry yams for sale. At about 11:30 p.m. while Marku was fanning the fire, she dozed off. Lydia, who noticed her sleeping, allegedly slapped Marku from behind, making her fall into a saucepan of boiling oil, causing severe burns on her face.

Lydia refused to send her to the hospital but a passer-by took Marku to the Tema General Hospital, where she is still on admission. The source said for three weeks Marku's family failed to report the case to the police until some neighbours narrated the incident to a journalist who reported the matter to the police.

When the GNA visited the Marku at her bedside at the Tema General Hospital, she could hardly speak. She was seen groaning in pain, ostensibly traumatised, with her head completely bandaged.