MUMBAI: A Nalasopara woman, who was supposed to take care of two minor girls-a friend's daughters-for a few days, assaulted and branded them with hot spoons over household chores. Once they found out, her neighbours beat up the accused, Hansa Mehta (34), and handed her over to the police on Saturday. While the accused has been sent to judicial custody for 15 days, the police are waiting to hear from the victims' mother who cannot be contacted. The police also tried to contact their father, but to no avail. Though the accused did confess to have tortured the children, she told the police that "it was the only way to discipline the kids". A domestic help working in Kandivli, Hansa stays in Sitaram Nagar chawl, Kajupada, Nalasopara (E) with her husband Shailesh and three children. A month ago, she brought home her friend's children, Ashwini (8) and Taki (4), as their mother, Sandhya Singh , also a maid, had to undergo medical treatment. Sandhya apparently did not want to leave her daughters with their father, Vijay, as he was a drunkard. Ashwini who communicates in Hindi has told the police that her mother was to pick them up 15 days ago but has not turned up yet. According to the complaint lodged by a neighbour, Bharti Solanki (35), the children were made to do household chores and were left to starve most of the time. She said Hansa not only ill-treated the two girls, but also did not spare her own children. Her husband, Shailesh, reportedly would remain a silent spectator to the harassments, which included slapping, assaulting the girls with rolling pins and scalding them with hot steel clamps and spoons. Neighbours had tried to intervene but were met with abuses and insults. On Friday, alarmed by Ashwini and Taki's cries, a group of women knocked on Hansa's door but she refused to open. Around midnight, when the cries refused to subside, the women returned and broke open Hansa's door. Solanki said they found that Taki's right leg was nearly fractured and her eyes were red and swollen. She had burn marks on her left shoulder, back and hands, and her thumb was damaged. and was later removed at the Nalasopara Primary Health Centre . Ashwini's eyes and cheeks had turned red from constant beating, said Solanki, adding that she, too, had burn marks on her body. Outraged, the women beat up Hansa and dragged her to the Nalasopara police station. The sisters also spent the night in the police station where they were given food. They will be taken to the Bhiwandi Children Home. Inspector Mukund Mahajan confirmed the incident. The other neighbours also gave the police the details of how Hansa would bang the children's heads against the wall if they failed to finish a chore. They also said Hansa would not let them the sisters would be beaten up for urinating in their clothes which they would do as they were not allowed to answer nature's call when required. The statements of the neighbours' who were witness to the torture are being taken. Neighbours have given detailed account of how Mehta would bang the minors' heads on the wall if they failed in completing the assigned household chores. Neighbours said that the sisters would be beaten up for urinating in their clothes which they would do as they were not allowed to answer nature's call when required. Mehta told the police that the girls were beaten up after they were caught stealing from the house. Hansa who has been booked under section 324 (causing hurt) of the IPC and section 23 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, admitted to have tortured the kids and said "it was the only way to discipline them".