Exploited Dholka woman to return

Ahmedabad: Four days after TOI reported about Dholka-based girl, Hafijabanu Rajabhusen, being trapped and exploited in Saudi Arabia, there is a ray of hope for her return. Ruturaj Desai, deputy collector of Dholka, confirmed that her tickets for Thursday, March 16, have been booked from Riyadh-Mumbai-Ahmedabad.

Hafijabanu told a TOI reporter over the phone that she was being tortured by the owner and the family where she lived and she feared she would get killed. Following the TOI report, state education minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama took up the matter with Dholka collector and deputy collector and took it to the state home department and Union ministry of external affairs as well.

T R Sriniwas, a software professional and a BJP leader from Hyderabad, said, “The tickets were handed over to her sisters on Saturday. Her sisters later handed over the tickets to Farheen Khan (name changed to protect the identity) who is herself was a victim of such a case a few years ago.”

“Farheen informed me about the tickets over the phone and we have informed the concerned government and police officials immediately,” he added.

In fact, the Indian Embassy in

Riyadh

has also tweeted to Sriniwas, mentioning, “We are actively working on all fronts and hope to send her home soon.”

“We are told that Hafijabanu’s tickets to Ahmedabad have been booked. We hope for her safe return. We will constantly monitor the situation so that she is back safely. In fact, the embassies of both the countries have assured us of her safe return,” said a senior police official.

“Rihanna, the agent who had approached Hafijabanu with a job offer in Saudi Arabia, is still being questioned. Once Hafijabanu returns to Ahmedabad, we will further probe the matter and try to nab the culprits,” the official added.