LAHORE, Pakistan: Police in eastern Pakistan have arrested a woman for beating to death her 10-year-old maid after accusing the girl of stealing a few rupees, less than a dollar’s worth.

Police official Mohammed Yousaf said Saturday the incident happened in the eastern city of Lahore. The girl died on Thursday, after her employer had brought her to hospital.

Yousaf says the doctors alerted the police after seeing signs of abuse and torture on the girl’s body. Later, the woman confessed to killing her maid with a steel pipe.

S.M. Dr Imran said they would be able to say something about sexual assault with the girl after detailed examination.

Child labor is common in Pakistan, which has no legislation setting a minimum age for work. Children — mostly from extremely poor and illiterate families — are commonly employed in households for domestic work and often exposed to verbal, physical and sexual abuse.