Pakistani police have arrested a businessman and his wife on suspicion of beating an eight-year-old maid, to death after she accidentally escaped the couple's parrots when she opened the cage to feed her, a police officer said Friday.
Ahmed Nawaz, the head of the local police in Rawalpindi, said that the man who hired the girl's services for 3,000 rupees ($ 20) a month was very angry and beat the maid with the help of his wife when the birds fled the cage last Sunday.
Nawaz added that the man who was named by the police, Hassan Siddiqui, took the injured girl to a hospital, but escaped after learning that she was dead.
He continued: "This tragic incident also shocked us, but we are still investigating the case."
The girl's death sparked widespread resentment in Pakistan via social media, as citizens, politicians and human rights activists demanded justice for the victim.
Pakistani Human Rights Minister Sherine Mazari said she had ordered an investigation into the girl's death.