Maid tosses newborn girl from 7th floor in Abu Dhabi

An Ethiopian housemaid has been charged by Abu Dhabi Police for throwing her newborn baby away through the garbage chute on the seventh floor of a building in the city's Khalidiya area.

The newborn was found dead, covered in a cloth and put in a plastic bag.

Colonel Dr. Rashid Mohammed Borshid, Head of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), said preliminary investigation revealed that the baby girl was born full-term late Saturday.

The mother, who claimed that the baby was stillborn, also admitted the pregnancy was a result of an adulterous relationship in her home country.

"The CID is currently expanding the investigation to determine whether the newborn was still alive when discarded; investigations will also examine whether the baby's fall from such a height is the cause of death. Additionally, the investigation will reveal the circumstances leading to this incident," Colonel Borshid said.

"The offending mother thought that disposing of her daughter after firmly sealing the infant in a plastic bag would hide her secret forever. She was surprised that the police discovered her secret within hours, thanks to the efforts of the investigative team trained to deal with such situations," said the Head of the CID commenting on the incident.

He noted that the preliminary examination indicated the existence of a crime. "An investigation was carried out and criminal information was collected based on the specifications of the deceased newborn, which allowed the team to identify suspects or anyone involved in the crime," explained Colonel Borshid.

Colonel Borshid said the circumstances and facts discovered during the initial investigations were linked, resulting in the identification of the 26-year-old domestic worker, identified as L.A.S., and who was working illegally for a Canadian family in the building where the crime occurred.

"The family will also be held accountable under the law for employing a worker on someone else's employment visa," said Borshid.

Colonel Borshid added that the housemaid confessed that she gave birth in her room without assistance or the family's knowledge, after she felt labour pains. "The housemaid claimed that her newborn baby was born dead and not breathing. She cut the placenta herself, cleaned the remnants of the birth, and then wrapped her with a piece of cloth, and put her in a plastic bag and dumped her from the garbage chute on the 7th floor. She then returned to work as if nothing happened," added Borshid.

The Head of the CID reiterated his condemnation of this hideous crime, considering it an aggression against the dignity and inviolability of the human body and human feelings. It violates the teachings of the divine religions and social values.

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