The woman from Visakhapatnam, who was allegedly held captive in Saudi by her employers, has finally returned home, thanks to the proactive approach of the special branch of the city police.
The victim, G. Praveena, a resident of Pedagantyada area, who had gone to eke out a living as a housemaid, is totally shattered. The woman claims that she was held captive by her employers and put to inhuman torture.
Recollecting her travails, she said, “My husband, Ashok, used to work as a driver, but he lost his leg in an accident. To support my husband and my school-going son and daughter, I decided to go to Saudi to work as a housemaid.”
Praveena had come in contact with a Hyderabad-based agent Srinivasa Reddy in November last. Initially, she was sent to work under another person and then she was sent to yet another home after the first owners felt that there was no need for maids.
“I was moved to another home in January this year. My owner was a 60-year-old woman, who had six daughters and four sons. And from day one I subjected to bad treatment, by all the members of the house,” she said.
According to her, things turned worse when she requested for a leave for 15 days, as her father expired in March. “I received a message that my father had expired and explained my owner that I would return after visiting my home for a brief period. But they did not believe my words and from then onwards they locked me in a room and subjected to physical torture. They would let me out whenever, they needed some work to be done and give me just one meal a day that to only leftovers. I was beaten at least once a day. They also confiscated my passport,” she narrated.
On how she communicated with her husband, she said, “Before leaving for Saudi my children taught me how to use WhatsApp and Wi-Fi. The Wi-Fi password was written in a corner in one of the halls. I used that password to communicate with my husband.”
Swift action
Praveena’s case was taken by the police, after a report was published in a local newspaper. “We did not receive any formal complaint, but after the news appeared in a section of the press, we got in touch with Praveena’s husband G. Ashok and took the details including her passport and visa numbers and got in touch with the embassies of India and Saudi Arabia,” said ADCP (special branch) P.V. Ravi Kumar.
According to Mr. Ravi Kumar, Police Commissioner T. Yoganand, Collector Pravin Kumar and MP K Hari Babu took immediate steps and even contacted Union Minister for External Affairs Sushma Swaraj, and this made it possible to bring back Praveena within a week’s time.