ROURKELA: Father of a 19-year-old girl lodged a complaint in the
Bargaon police station on Monday evening alleging that his daughter was sold off in New Delhi by a distant relative. He said he came to know about it only after his daughter escaped from the household where she was employed without payment and reached home recently.
Police sources said
Sambhari Majhi of Gadgadbahal village under Bargaon police limites stated that his daughter
Baisali had gone to visit
Hemlata Pradhan, his relative, of Jammal village in
Sambalpur district in the first week of November.
Hemlata, who was earlier staying in New Delhi, had reportedly offered Baisali to accompany her to New Delhi, where she was going for a week. Baisali had agreed and both had left for New Delhi on November 8, 2017.
When Baisali asked Hemlata about their return after a week, she told her that she had no mondy to do so. Hemlata had then proposed that Baisali work as a domestic help for a month to earn the money of her return journey, police sources said.
After working for about a month, Baisali came to know that Hemlata had taken Rs 20,000 from her employer as advance so that she works for one year.
Baisali, who was compelled to work there without any salary, escaped on January 16 and reached home on January 21, 2018. "We came to know about her plights only after her return following which I lodged a complaint in Bargaon police station," said
Sambharu Majhi. "We tried to contact Hemlata Pradhan but not able to do so as her phone is switched off," he added.
"We have registered a case and started investigation," said IIC of Bargaon police station Thakur Das Murmu. "We are trying to trace Hemlata, who has a previous record of woman trafficking,"
Murmu said.
(Representative Image)
