The 23-year-old Air India hostess and her elder sister have been arrested on charges of torture, human trafficking and confining a 13-year-old girl in their flat in South Delhi's Sarojini Nagar. They were later produced before a city court and sent to judicial custody for 14 days.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the duo brought the girl from her parents' house in Manipur on the pretext of providing her with good education in Delhi, but instead she was subjected to inhuman treatment.
The victim had been beaten with a belt by her employer, who used to lock her inside the house without any food or water for days, whenever she went abroad.
A senior police officer said that the arrest was made when the accused woman, Bira Thoibi, arrived at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) early on Thursday from Australia as she was part of Air India crew team. She had no idea about the matter and the investigation officer informed her about the exact sequence of event but she denied all the allegations.
"Initially, the accused tried to mislead the investigators but after the sustained interrogation, she broke down and told police that before coming to
Delhi, her elder sister Stoile Naubi approached the victim's parents staying in Senapati district in Manipur. She promised victim's mother, who worked as their domestic help that she would provide her daughter good education in Delhi and to will also bear the expenses of her education," the officer added.
The victim later came with Bira Thoibi and started residing with her. Instead of admitting her to a school, the victim was confined inside the Netaji Nagar apartment for over two years and was physically tortured.
"Bira Thoibi used to come home late in the night and used to ask her to give her a body massage for two to three hours. But, whenever the victim asked her for her school admission, she used to beat her with a leather belt," police officer said.
The arrest was made following a complaint by her domestic help who was rescued on Monday afternoon. "Stoile Naubi was also arrested on Wednesday morning on charges of human. She was along with her five- month-old daughter and had come to the Capital along with her child and mother," the officer added. Based on the victim's statement, the police has registered a case under Sections 323 (causing hurt), 340 (wrongful confinement), 370 (slavery), 16 (bonded labour) and 14 (child labour) of IPC at Sarojini Nagar Police Station. It has also booked the accused under the Juvenile Justice Act.
Meanwhile, both the accused were produced before a city court, which sent them to 14 days of judicial custody. Metropolitan Magistrate Ashok Kumar, during an in-camera proceeding, remanded Air India hostess Bira Thoibi to judicial custody till November 13 after the Delhi Police said she was not required for custodial interrogation.