Woman from Ernakulam alleges torture by family in Qatar

Police register case against two agents who are accused of selling her to the family for ₹1 lakh

When she boarded the flight to Qatar as a domestic maid-cum-babysitter in March last year, 43-year-old Preethy Selvaraj, a resident of Njarakkal, had dreamt of giving her three children and husband a better life. Sixteen months later, she returned home on July 9, bruised and all her dreams shattered. Since then, she has petitioned the Njarakkal police against the two agents who arranged her sojourn in West Asia, accusing them of having sold her for ₹1 lakh to the Arab family that employed her. “I was promised a job that required me to do household work and take care of children for four hours a day. But in reality, I had to break my back non-stop from early morning hours till midnight and had to endure physical abuse. When I questioned the land lady one day, she showed me a video of handing over ₹1 lakh to one of the agents,” alleged Ms. Selvaraj.