Police on Wednesday arrested the employers of a teenage domestic helper in Karachi's Defence Housing Authority area (DHA) after they were accused of criminally assaulting the girl, officials said.

The 16-year-old, a resident of Qayyumabad, was allegedly beaten and tortured by her employers with a hot iron on Tuesday when they suspected her of stealing from their home and being a bad influence on their four-year-old daughter, police said.

Darakhshan Station House Officer Aurangzeb Khattak claimed the girl "suffered iron-inflicted torture by her employers".

Following the incident, the girl was admitted to Civil Hospital Burns Unit for treatment.

She could not be medically examined on Wednesday as there was no female medico-legal officer available, Senior Superintendent Police South Javed Akbar Riaz said, adding her examination would take place on Thursday.

Additional Police Surgeon Dr Qarar Ahmed Abbasi was able to confirm, however, that the teenager had sustained burn wounds on her face and her hair had been chopped off.

Police have arrested a couple ─ her employers ─ and three others after her father registered a first information report (FIR) under sections 324 (attempt to commit willful murder) and 337 (shajjah) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

Inspector General Sindh A.D. Khawaja took notice of the incident and directed SSP Riaz to present a detailed report on the investigation of the case.