The police have arrested a woman who allegedly slashed an Indonesian maid for eating a banana without her permission, said a news report.

The 72-year-old woman allegedly slashed her maid on the neck for eating the fruit and drinking a cup of hot chocolate at her home, the Star said.

Saeni Salikan, 31, claimed that her employer scolded her for eating the banana and suddenly lashed out with a knife on July 31, the Bernama news agency said.

Saeni required 12 stitches, Bernama reported.

Further action

Police have concluded their investigations and would be submitting a report to the Deputy Public Prosecution's office for further action, district Crime Investigations Department chief Wan Zainudin Wan Mahmud told the Star .

The case comes in the wake of what has been described as the worst maid abuse case seen in the country, in which 19-year-old Indonesian Nirmala Bonet was allegedly repeatedly burnt with an iron across her breasts, beaten and scalded with boiling water, provoked an outcry in Malaysia.

There are over 200,000 domestic workers in Malaysia, 90 percent of whom are Indonesians.

Maids often receive a mere RM380 a month - around one third of the average wage here - and many are forced to work from sunrise to sunset with little legal protection.