BUKIT MERTAJAM: Police have detained the 60-year-old mother of the siblings, who allegedly abused their Indonesian maid to death in Jalan Green Hall, George Town.

Central Seberang Prai OCPD Asst Comm Nik Ros Azhan Nik Abdul Hamid said the woman was picked up at about 2.30pm yesterday to assist in the murder investigation.

He said a post-mortem on Adelina Lisao, 26, found that her death was due to multiple organ failure.

“The failure of the organs could be due to lack of blood as she was neglected,” he said.

“Prior to the incident, we did not receive any reports of abuse.”

At the Seberang Jaya Hospital, where the post-mortem was conducted, the Indonesian Consulate-General’s Consu­lar Affairs consul Neni Kurniati said they were trying to locate Adelina’s home in Indonesia as there were inconsistencies with the address in her passport.

“We are searching for the exact address in Nusa Tenggara Timur, and not in Medan as reported earlier.

“Based on the passport, she had been working with the present employer since December 2014,” Neni said.

She said the consulate was checking with the Immigration Department whether Adelina, who was hired through an agency, had a work permit.

“Her body will be taken back to Indonesia for a proper burial once investigations are completed,” she added.

On Saturday, a team of assistants to Bukit Mertajam MP Steven Sim found Adelina sitting, looking terrified, on the porch of the house in Taman Kota Permai.

Her head and face were swollen and she had injuries on her arms and feet as well.

Neighbours claimed the woman was forced to sleep with a Rottweiler outside the house for over a month.

Adelina died at the hospital on Sunday.

The employers – a 39-year-old man and his 36-year-old sister – are being investigated for murder under Section 302 of the Penal Code.

In Putrajaya, Immigration director-general Datuk Seri Mustafar Ali said employers applying for foreign workers will have to go through background checks, including for crime.