RIYADH: A Moroccan maid has been accused of killing her Saudi sponsor, 65, and daughter, 30, with a cleaver in Shafa neighborhood in Riyadh on Wednesday.
The maid allegedly cut their bodies into pieces and then surrendered to the police, according to reports in local publications.
Commenting on the case, Abdullah Al-Wayli, criminal psychology specialist and head of the psychiatric department at Al-Amal Mental hospital, said it appeared the alleged killer has psychopathic tendencies, which may have been exacerbated by quarrels with her employers.
It appeared it was a premeditated, revenge attack, with the maid not able to consider the consequences of her actions because of her psychological state.
Salwa Al-Khatib, faculty member of the social studies department at King Saud University, said: “The maid could have left the house and gone to the embassy of her country if she did not want to work instead of committing this horrendous crime.”
She said that it was difficult to speculate about the reasons for the maid committing such a crime after the long time she spent with the family. “But in general, these crimes have become very frequent. The individuals who commit these crimes against Saudi families are supposedly in the Kingdom to help us, not to be our enemies.”
Al-Khatib said it was possible the woman was mentally ill. However, there was also a possibility that the maid had been abused by the family including physically beaten and deprived of food and her salary, as has happened to other maids. This might have resulted in the maid taking revenge.
She said there should be psychological tests done on maids before they are recruited. In addition, the media must create awareness about the rights of these workers.