KATHMANDU, Aug 15: A Nepali woman arrives in Mauritius with a false promise of obtaining a green card for residence, work and business. She had gone there under the assurances of getting a job and a salary. However she was forced to perform household chores and fulfill the owner's demands.

With the aim of strengthening her family's financial situation, she had given Rs 250,000 to agent Buddhi Raj Neupane and traveled from the Tribhuvan International Airport to Mauritius via India. Neupane had claimed that he only worked as an agent to send people abroad. The victim said that Neupane lured her by promising her a job as a cook in Mauritius with a salary of Rs 70,000 a month.

According to the assurances given by Neupane, after working for some time, she would obtain a green card of Mauritius and also be able to take her family along with her. She was told that after obtaining the Mauritius green card, she would not need a visa to travel to European countries and other destinations.

The victim woman told Republica, “I agreed to go to Mauritius so that I would obtain a green card and get the opportunity to take my family later. The agent said the visa would be received quickly if I paid the amount on time. At first, I only paid Rs 100,000. After receiving the visa, the agent told me to send the remaining amount and come to Kathmandu.”

The agent Neupane had told her, “There is no direct flight from Kathmandu to Mauritius. I have bought a ticket for you for the flight to Mauritius via New Delhi, India. I will take you to the Tribhuvan International Airport. After arriving there, you can easily reach Mauritius."

The victim woman had borrowed money to pay for the ticket. At the airport, the agent Neupane had given her a cap with "Mauritius" written on it and had taken a photo of her.

Neupane had told her, “Do not remove the cap. After arriving in Mauritius, someone will arrive to pick you up based on this cap. I have already sent your photo to the person of Mauritius. No one would stop you at the Kathmandu airport.” Following that, he handed her the documents required for her flight to Mauritius including flight ticket, visa, and passport. She reached Mauritius on January 27, 2024.

She said, "A person from Mauritius picked me up from the airport and drove me to the residence of Bissun Mungro after a two-hour drive. After arriving there, he did not let me rest and instructed me to start housework. He instructed me to clean the house and wash the dishes."

She had expressed her objection, claiming that she was not there for domestic work. Following that, she had even called Agent Neupane. After Neupane did not respond to her call, she was forced to do domestic chores. Working for 17 to18 hours a day, she had to coordinate with the owner in Hindi language. Although there was pressure from domestic work, he did not provide her meals.

However, she was abused physically, mentally, and sexually. She was not able to tell anyone about this. Despite being exploited against her will, she only earned Rs 42,000 a month. She had been lured to Mauritius with the promise of a higher salary of Rs 70,000. When she questioned about being assigned to household chores instead of work related to the company, she did not receive a positive answer from the owner.

The victim said "The owner told me that he had bought me as a gift from Buddhi Raj Neupane. He also paid all the expenses for bringing me here from Nepal. I do not know what he said to you when he sent you from Nepal.”

She said that she was subjected to physical abuse, whenever she used to raise a question. She eventually realized that she had been sold to Mauritius under false promises of a good job, green card, and false assurances.

Remembering the painful moment when the owner’s demands increased significantly, she said, “I started to become ill from the owner’s physical abuses and excessive household chores. I could not endure when I was repeatedly beaten and attacked by the whole family.”

She said that Agent Neupane did not receive the call while she used to call him repeatedly. Neupane had told her, “Do whatever you can, I don't care. You can't even return to Nepal now. If you do not obey the owner, he will kill you. Just do whatever he says. I cannot do anything from here," the victim said.

She could not endure the pain and suffering given by the owner. She started searching for a way to return to Nepal. After increasing physical and mental abuse, along with sexual harassment from the owner, she seized the opportunity one night when everyone in the house was asleep and managed to run away.

She said, "It was completely dark. I had no idea where to go.I was running away from hell. I was unsure about who I might find along the way. I entered the house of a Mauritian woman and sought help.”

She shared her problems that she faced in the house of the owner in Mauritius after going live on TikTok. She said, "I begged for help through TikTok. Subrat Kumar Rimal, a Nepali residing in Portugal, helped me and bought a ticket for me through social media. On July 4, 2024, I successfully returned to Nepal.” She has recently filed a complaint at the Human Trafficking Investigation Bureau, alleging that she was lured to Mauritius under various false assurances and sold in Mauritius as well as forced into sexual activities.

Published on: 16 August 2024 | My Republica