Bhubaneswar, Dec. 21: A newly hired domestic help yesterday attacked the houseowner’s wife and decamped with her ornaments in Jagamohan Nagar in Khandagiri police limits.

The woman, identified as 47-year-old Pratima Swain, has sustained severe injuries and is undergoing treatment at a private hospital in the city. Police are yet to nab the 23-year-old maid, who was hired just 20 days ago.

The police said Pratima was alone at home when the maid attacked her with a stone spice crusher. Once Pratima fell unconscious, she snatched the gold chain from her neck.

Pratima stays with her husband, daughter and son in a duplex at a far end of Pawan Complex in Jagamohan Nagar in front of a private engineering college. Her husband, Akshaya Kumar Swain, is a sales tax officer.

While her son studies MBA at a private university and stays in the hostel, their daughter, who studies engineering at a local college, had gone to her uncle’s house in Cuttack.

The house today wore an empty look with the inner gate locked. The neighbours said the family members were visiting Pratima at a private hospital in Acharya Vihar, where the doctors have kept her under 72 hours observation.

A doctor’s family residing near Pratima’s house said she had called her husband yesterday after lunch as she was not feeling well. However, when he later tried to contact her over phone, she did not respond.

“Apprehending something wrong, Akshaya informed us and told us to check. We found their house was locked from outside. He insisted that we break the lock. With the help of some other local residents, we broke open the door,” said the doctor.

Gourav Kumar, an engineering student from Jharkhand who lives nearby, said that when he entered the house he found the woman lying on her bed. She had suffered injuries to her head and neck.

“We rushed her to a private hospital and from their she was later taken to another hospital,” said Kumar.

Cops suspect that the domestic help had added some intoxicant to her food and this caused nausea. Then the maid hit her on the head with a masala crusher.

Khandagiri police said that though the incident occurred during daytime, they got the information late in the evening. “Our scientific and forensic teams have visited the spot,” a policeman said.

The family members do not know the whereabouts of the maid. They had hired her on the basis of a relative’s recommendation. She had given the family the impression that she was a destitute. The relative, who had introduced her to the family, seemed to have no clue about her identity.

“We are trying hard to collect information about the maid from other sources. Had the family members or locals informed us earlier, it would be easier to nab her,” said inspector in charge of Khandagiri police station Sanjeev Satpathy.