Maid charged after adding menstrual blood to employer's food

AN Indonesian maid has appeared in a Hong Kong court accused of adding menstrual blood to her employer's food in an effort to improve their stormy relationship.

Indra Ningsih, aged 26, mixed the blood in a pot of vegetables in the belief that the recipe would help ease her difficult work environment, The Standard newspaper reported.

In some southeast Asian cultures, menstrual blood is thought to have special powers, the paper added.

The maid has been charged with one count of "administering poison or other destructive or noxious substances with intent to injure'' and has not yet entered a plea.

The report cited a prosecution statement that said Ms Ningsih's ingredient had been discovered after her female employer, surnamed Mok, peered through the kitchen door and saw the helper acting suspiciously.

She entered the kitchen and found the accused throwing something into the rubbish bin.

When she checked the pot, she found a suspicious substance mixed with the vegetables and water, the English-language daily said.

Ms Mok later discovered a used sanitary napkin in the bin and called the police.

Ms Ningsih told police Ms Mok had been unhappy with her performance since she was hired last July.