Dhaka: Police have reportedly launched a drive to arrest national team cricketer Shahadat Hossain and his wife after a case was filed against them over torturing a child domestic help.

One Khandakar Mozammel Haque, a resident of Mirpur, filed the case with the Mirpur Model Police in the early hours of Monday, accusing Shahadat and his wife of physically torturing Happy, an 11-year-old girl, who had been earlier found by Mozammel and other local people, with wounds on her body and face.

Happy has been sent to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital’s One-Stop Crisis Centre, according to Mirpur Model Police officer-in-charge.

Meanwhile, Mirpur Division police deputy commissioner Kaiyumuzzaman Khan said that police have already launched drive to arrest the accused.

‘We raided the house of Shahadat on Sunday night but did not find them. This morning we continued our efforts to arrest the couple,’ said the police.

Some locals found Happy near Mirpur’s Sangbadik Plot area with injury marks on her eye and body. She claimed that she used to work at cricketer Shahadat’s home, but fled from there after she was tortured by his family members, Mozammel Haque told NTV Online.

‘Since the girl seemed to have no relative and it was a celebrity issue, I decided to stand by her and so took her the police,’ Mozammel Haque added.

Shahadat Hossian could not be reached to comment on this matter as he did not respond to phone calls. Later his phone was found switched off.

However, it could be confirmed that a girl had gone missing from Shahadat’s house. Mirpur Model Police assistant sub-inspector Mr Salam said the national team cricketer had lodged a general diary on Sunday about his domestic help going missing.

Shahadat, who played 38 Tests and 51 one-day internationals for Bangladesh, missed out on the recent series against India and South Africa after twisting his ankle during a Test match against Pakistan in May.