"Just One Phone Call"... Indian Woman Dramatically Rescued After Two Years of 'Slavery' Trapped in Apartment

Forced to Work 16 Hours a Day and Endure Habitual Abuse
Dramatic Escape with Help from a Repairman
The Ongoing Plight of "Bonded Labour" in India

Protest against discrimination and indiscriminate killings of the untouchables (Photo by Yonhap News)

A woman in her 30s in India was dramatically rescued after being forced to do housework like a slave, completely cut off from the outside world for about two years in an apartment.

According to a report by Yonhap News on June 15, citing NDTV and other sources, Badu Mandi (age 39), from West Bengal in eastern India, was rescued from an apartment in Gurugram, a new city in northern Haryana (formerly Gurgaon), on June 12.

Gurugram, a satellite city south of New Delhi, the capital of India, is an industrial and economic hub where branches and factories of foreign companies, including those from Korea, are concentrated.

According to Mandi's family and the police, about two years ago, Mandi entered the apartment to begin domestic work after receiving an advance payment of 40,000 rupees (about 630,000 won).

Until her rescue, Mandi reportedly had to work more than 16 hours a day and suffered from habitual physical abuse by her employer. She was also prohibited from contacting her family or anyone outside, and was not allowed to leave the apartment.

The situation took a turn in March. A repairman visited the apartment, and Mandi asked him to contact her family using his mobile phone to inform them of her circumstances.

Her younger sister, Lakshmi Tudu, then sought help from a civil society organization in West Bengal. The organization joined with government agencies to begin a rescue operation.

After receiving the case, West Bengal police traveled to Gurugram and, in cooperation with local authorities, successfully rescued Mandi. The police are continuing their investigation, pursuing the employer's family who fled the scene.

During this process, the Ministry of Labour, alerted by the civil society group, determined that the case was a form of "bonded labour" prohibited by law, and recommended immediate intervention by the Gurugram authorities. Bonded labour, also called "debt bondage," refers to a practice in which an employer gives an employee an advance or a loan, then adds excessive interest so that the worker can never repay it in their lifetime, forcing them to work continuously.

Although India enacted and implemented a law abolishing bonded labour in 1976, the practice has yet to be eradicated. More than 80% of bonded labourers are from the most marginalized groups in Indian society, such as the untouchables or indigenous tribes. Many of them are landless and illiterate, making them particularly vulnerable to fraudulent contracts and exploitation by landlords or unscrupulous employers.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.