Forced to work 16 hours a day, beaten up over minor issues and barred from calling up family members — this is the alleged ordeal a 39-year-old tribal woman from West Bengal’s Birbhum district faced for nearly two years as she was held captive as a bonded labourer at a flat in a residential society in Gurgaon’s Sector 91. The smart locking system at the home prevented her from stepping outside the residence, said police. It was only after a recent visit by a technician to the house that she was able to raise the alarm and get in touch with her family.
Following a coordinated operation by the West Bengal Police, Gurgaon Police, the district administration in Gurgaon, and civil society organisations, she was finally rescued on Saturday, officers said.
After her rescue, officers added, the survivor claimed that consistent physical abuse by her employer had left her unable to lift her right arm or hear from her right ear. She further reported being assaulted so brutally on her head and face on the morning of her rescue that she feared she would die.
The woman, officers said, was brought to Delhi and then Gurgaon to work as a domestic help after an advance payment of Rs 40,000 by the family. The circumstances under which she was handed over are still under probe.
Her employers allegedly frequently locked her inside the house when they went out. According to the survivor’s sister, who first approached authorities at Birbhum for assistance in March this year, she faced violent physical abuse almost daily over minor issues, or whenever she requested to return home.
When a service technician recently visited the house, the survivor seized the opportunity and convinced him to let her use his mobile phone to call her family, said police. She informed her relatives about her dire situation, prompting them to urgently seek help.
On June 4, an FIR was registered at a police station in West Bengal. The case was filed under various sections of the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, and relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Section 127(4), which pertains to wrongful exploitation and forced labour.
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The survivor’s sister travelled to Gurgaon to assist in ensuring her release. A team from The West Bengal Police also travelled to Delhi to execute the rescue alongside Gurugram Police and local officials.
Speaking with The Indian Express, Assistant Sub-Inspector Rajesh Khowal of the Sector 93 police post said the family was not at home at the time of the operation.
Another officer privy to the probe told The Indian Express that the investigation is at a nascent stage. “The rescued woman only opened the door. Now further investigation is under way by the West Bengal police only,” said the officer.
The officer added, “We pasted notices outside the home of the accused family to join the probe, and handed a copy to the society’s security guard. Prima facie, the family ill treated her and even when she would shout for help from the balcony, the employer would threaten to harm and chop her to pieces. The woman is very traumatised.”
