MAHOTTARI:- Sixteen Nepalis who were held hostage in a poultry farm in the Indian state of Haryana have been rescued.
They are being rescued from the Bardibas Musahar settlement in Mahottari with the help of the ‘Afant India Foundation’ and are being brought to Nepal. After the rescue, they are being brought to Nepal after completing all the necessary legal procedures from the Nepali Embassy in Delhi. They are expected to reach the Bhitthamod checkpoint in Jaleshwor Municipality-3 by Wednesday afternoon, said Binod Kumar Khati, director of the Afant India Foundation.
Seven of the rescued Nepalis are under the age of 18. Based on information received from the Bardibas Area Police Office, they were rescued with the coordination of the Nepali Embassy, New Delhi, and the joint initiative of the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit under the Crime Branch of the Haryana Police, the concerned agencies of the Indian Government, and the Relatives India Foundation. The rescued Nepalis were found to be kept in a hostage-like condition at a poultry farm in Matanhel, Jhajjar district of Haryana, the Khati said.
“Initial investigations have revealed that they were taken to India under the pretext of employment and subjected to physical and mental torture and forced labor,” he said. After the rescue, the farm operator and the contractor involved in labor supply were arrested and legal proceedings were taken forward, and the victims were provided with about 200,000 rupees as compensation.
