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A woman in her 30s in India has been dramatically rescued after being forced to work as a domestic servant in an apartment for over two years, completely cut off from the outside world.
According to Indian media outlets including NDTV on June 15, Badu Mandi (39), a native of the eastern state of West Bengal, was rescued on June 12 from an apartment in Gurugram (formerly Gurgaon), a new city in the northern state of Haryana.
Gurugram, a satellite city located south of the Indian capital New Delhi, is an industrial and economic hub where branches and factories of foreign companies, including those from South Korea, are concentrated.
According to Mandi's family and the police, Mandi was sent to an apartment in Gurugram over two years ago after an advance payment of 40,000 rupees (approximately 630,000 won) was made.
Before her rescue, Mandi was forced to work more than 16 hours a day and was frequently subjected to physical abuse by her employer.
She was also prohibited from contacting her family or leaving the apartment.
The situation took a turn in March.
When an apartment repairman visited the unit, Mandi asked him for help and used his mobile phone to contact her family and inform them of her situation.
Her younger sister, Lakshmi Tudu, then sought help from a civic group in West Bengal, which coordinated with government agencies to initiate a rescue operation.
After receiving the report, West Bengal police traveled to Gurugram and successfully rescued Mandi in cooperation with local authorities.
The police have launched an investigation, including a manhunt for the employer's family, who have fled.
In the process, the federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, alerted by the civic group, classified the case as a form of "bonded labour"—a practice prohibited by law—and recommended immediate intervention by the Gurugram authorities.
Bonded labor occurs when an employer provides an advance payment or loan to an employee and then imposes excessive interest, making it impossible for the employee to pay off the debt, thereby forcing them to continue working indefinitely.
Although India enacted a law to abolish bonded labor in 1976, the practice remains difficult to eradicate.
More than 80% of bonded laborers come from the most marginalized sections of Indian society, such as Dalits (untouchables) or indigenous tribes.
As many of them are landless and illiterate, they are known to be easily exposed to fraudulent contracts and exploitation by landlords or unscrupulous employers.
(Photo: Getty Images)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.