Jaipur woman took in rape survivor in 2017, exploited her as house help; arrested
Police said the woman was arrested and the teenage girl rescued after her neighbour reached out to the district child helpline
JAIPUR: A 42-year-old woman who volunteered to take care of a seven-year-old rape survivor in 2017 has been arrested after the girl, now a 15, accused the woman of forcing her to work as a domestic help at her house all these years, police said on Monday.
The teenager was rescued and the woman arrested on Sunday after the accused’s neighbour complained to the district child helpline, said deputy commissioner of police, Jaipur West, Amit Budaniya.
She has been booked for wrongful restraint, wrongful confinement, using criminal force to confine a person, trafficking, exploitation of trafficked persons and unlawful compulsory labour, the senior police officer said.
Police said the girl, a native of Sawai Madhopur 150km away, was raped by a relative in 2017 when she was a seven-year-old. The accused, Madhu Agnihotri (42), read about the rape in a newspaper and turned up at Jaipur’s JK Lon Hospital where the girl was admitted.
Agnihotri convinced the little girl’s family to let the girl come with her, promising to give the girl a better life than she would have if she stayed with her parents.
The girl’s parents, who worked as daily wage labourers, agreed to let her live with Agnihotri for the sake of her future, the officer said.
“After bringing the girl to her house, Madhu started using her as a domestic help. She also beat her with a stick, belt, and chain if she failed to do any job properly. Police found several injury marks on her body after rescuing her on Sunday night,” Budaniya said.
Budaniya added that Agnihotri had barred the girl’s parents from contacting their daughter, telling them that it would adversely affect her life and future.
Police said the girl was enrolled at a local government school in 2017 but she hadn’t sent her to school for more than 60 days.
The accused who raped the girl was also convicted and sent for a 20-year imprisonment, said police.
Police said the woman recently brought home two more girls, aged 4 and 5, and introduced them as her children.
“We have now sent all the three victims to the district child home until their family members come. Further investigation is underway,” Budaniya added.