The South district police on Thursday arrested the 45-year-old aunt of the domestic help from a placement agency in Kotla Mubarakpur. In a related development, Delhi Police also invoked the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act into the domestic abuse case against the accused Vandana Dhir. This is the first case of domestic abuse in the Capital where Sections of SC/ST Act and Juvenile Justice Act have been pencilled in.
Police sources said that the victim’s aunt has been identified as Dorothy and she was detained with the help of technical surveillance. Dorothy had switched off her cell phone after Vandana Dhir was arrested. She was nabbed after she switched on her phone. “The arrested woman, Vandana Dhir, Country Communications Director of Alstom India and South Asia, had given some phone numbers to the investigators and with the help of technical surveillance, we have tracked the phone location of the victim’s aunt,” sources added. During interrogation, accused Vandana told police that she had employed the girl as a domestic help in her house with the help of Dorothy. She had also paid `30,000 as commission to Dorothy for bringing the girl to her house some 18 months ago. The girl had left the job without telling her and was brought again to Vandana’s house by her aunt. She had paid Rs 5,000 to the girl’s aunt then too.
Police sources also said that Dorothy is the one who played a crucial role in the entire human trafficking racket and she was one who brought the victim to the Capital around three years ago. Investigators have tightened the noose around Vandana Dhir, arrested for allegedly torturing her domestic help at her flat in Vasant Kunj and they have now added Sections of SC/ST Act against Dhir and are also planning to book her for human trafficking. Police have invoked Sections under the SC/ST Act to the existing FIR. Meanwhile, Brinda Karat, member, CPI(M), on Thursday met the Delhi Police Commissioner, BS Bassi and handed him a missive asking him to take interest in the case and strongly oppose the bail plea of Vandana before the Patiala House Courts.