Saudi diplomat booked, gangrape victims were screened for skin colour, say police

The placement agency employee allegedly picked them from a group of 30 because of the colour of their skin, police said. He then allegedly “sold” the two to a Saudi Arabian diplomat, who took them to Jeddah and back to Gurgaon where they were allegedly sexually assaulted repeatedly, police added.

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On Monday, the two — aged 44 and 20 — were “rescued” from the diplomat’s house in Gurgaon. On Wednesday night, they left for Nepal.

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“Anwar looked at the physical traits of the women, the skin colour and the way they spoke. Of the 30-odd women who came from Nepal, only these two were asked to join the diplomat,” a senior official said.

Police sources said Anwar, who they suspect lived close to Gurgaon, would often get girls from Uttarakhand and Nepal. “Those selected were sent to foreign countries, in the Gulf, and those rejected were kept in Delhi as domestic helps,” said a source.

“Both these women were promised salaries of up to Rs 30,000 a month working in Jeddah,” a police officer said.

According to police, before Anwar “screened” the victims, they were approached by a woman identified as Kalpana in Nepal. “Kalpana would scout for women desperate for money and promise them jobs in India. We believe at least 28 other women were brought to India by Kalpana. However, the rescued victims have not heard about them after they were sent to the diplomat’s house,” a source said.

According to the victims, they were kept in a small house in Gurgaon with the other women. “Here, Anwar turned up and screened them. After a couple of hours, he selected these two and promised them jobs in Jeddah. The next day, they were asked to go to the Saudi Arabian diplomat’s house in Gurgaon,” police sources said.

The 44-year-old victim from Morang was divorced recently and lived with her daughter with no regular source of income. She worked as an occasional labourer in Nepal.

The 20-year-old had lost her house in the April earthquake and lived with her ill husband and two children in Baglung.

Sources said Kalpana handed over the victims to Anwar and returned to Nepal with her commission, which police believe is close to Rs 1 lakh for each woman.

According to Tijaya Lama of the NGO, Lighthouse Foundation, the victims were in tattered clothes when they were rescued. With no fresh clothes and no footwear, the two were physically and emotionally drained, and on the verge of breaking down, Lama said.

“We counselled the two women, and all they wanted was to go back to Nepal,” Lama added.

“Whether or not both the agents received money for offering human services is a matter of investigation and only then can charges of Human Trafficking or Flesh Trade be framed. We will investigate when we get the go-ahead from the Ministry of External Affairs,” said Rajesh Kumar Chechi, Assistant Commissioner of Police (Crime), Gurgaon.