Aliyaar, Indian Laborer, Gets His Hand Chopped Off Over $3 In Wages

And you think your boss is bad?

An Indian laborer supporting a family of 10 had his hand chopped off with an ax by the owner of the illegal brewery where he brought wood. His offense? He had the audacity to ask for three months' worth of back wages totaling 200 rupees, or $3.61.

According to the Daily Mail, the villager, Aliyaar, had worked bringing wood from a nearby forest to the illegal hooch-producing plant in the Indian state of Jharkhand. On Sunday, he asked to be paid.

"Those running the brewery did not pay him," Garhwa police superintendent Michael Raj told the BBC. "For such a meager amount, the left hand of Aliyaar was chopped off."

The laborer, who was in stable condition at a hospital, blamed the brewery's owners, Ram Singh Yadav and Uday Yadav. He said his request to be paid was answered with a beating and the loss of his left hand.

"Ram Singh Yadav and his brother cut my hand and I became unconscious immediately. I don't remember how many other men were present there," Aliyaar said. "God alone knows how will I run my family now."

The moonshiner were described as local strongmen who exploited nearby villagers and physically abused them in an area where brewing illegal liquor is a lucrative business.

Police said they had arrested one man and were searching for others.

Doctors said Aliyaar may not be able to work again, prompting his anguished wife to ask about their large family, "How will we survive, what will we eat now?"

This is not the first time a seemingly minor dispute led to a violent amputation in India. In March, a 20-year-old in rural Bihar lost two hands when he could not repay a loan of 300 rupees, or just $5.42. In another case in 2010, the right hand of a Kerala man was cut off by a gang insulted by his teasing.