The human resources ministry said the “tortured” woman was still in a state of shock and was currently being held at a shelter after being given an interim protection order (IPO) by the Taiping magistrates’ court on the same day she was rescued.
The IPO is valid for a period of 21 days until July 30 to enable investigation papers to be filed on the victim’s employer.
The probe papers will later be sent to the deputy public prosecutor for action, the ministry said in a statement.
The rescue operation was conducted on Friday at 6.30am following a complaint by the Indonesian embassy two days earlier.
It was led by the labour department (JTK), the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Council (Mapo) and the police.
“The victim was brought to Malaysia by an agent who informed her that she would be working as a maid. She was promised a salary of RM1,000.
“She was then asked to pay a total of three months’ salary as a service fee to the agent after getting the job.
“This payment was completed through deductions from her salary in December 2017 and the subsequent two months in the following year,” it said.
The ministry said the employer had taken advantage of the fact that she did not have a valid work permit, using this to force her to do various housework.
“The victim was also beaten by the employer when the family was not satisfied with her work.
“In addition, she was also not provided with food if she expressed her desire to return to her country or that she did not want to work with her employer any more.
“At the same time, her salary was often paid late. There were also situations where she was forced to return it,” it said.
The ministry said there were indications that she was a victim of forced labour and the employer was alleged to have committed an offence under the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007 (Atipsom).
“This operation clearly shows the continuing efforts by enforcement agencies in addressing the issue of forced labour.
“The government will never compromise on this, regardless of the nationality of the workers,” it said.