We were raped every night, say Nepali women rescued from Saudi diplomat's house

Gurgaon/New Delhi: Tormented by poverty in Nepal, they were ready to take any risk, even if it meant moving out of the country. They knew life would be difficult, but they hardly anticipated it would turn out this way. Gangrape, unnatural sex and dire threats – they claim to have endured it all before being rescued from the horror house in posh Gurgaon. Speaking to Firstpost, the two Nepali women rescued from the residence of a Saudi diplomat – the First Secretary at the Embassy - on Monday night, revealed what they went through in four months. One of them, around 30-years-old and with two children and a husband suffering from cancer to care for, hails from Baglung in western Nepal. The other, aged around 50, is a divorcee and is from the Morang district of east Nepal. Four months ago, the two women say they were lured by a woman trafficker to Delhi and were promised a job and handsome salary in Saudi Arabia. However, they were then allegedly sold to another agent in Delhi for Rs 1 lakh each and then to the Saudi diplomat, who they identified as ‘Majid’. [caption id=“attachment_2428124” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  The two Nepali women who were allegedly raped a Saudi Arabian man. PTI photo[/caption] “Majid took us to Saudi Arabia. We stayed there for 15 days before being brought back to India three months ago. Then the violence started. We were raped every night by Majid and his guests. If we resisted, we were threatened with dire consequences. After performing household duties throughout the day, we were subjected to sexual assault at night. Often, there would be more than one man who would rape and torture us. We have marks on our body,” one of them said. She alleged that they were held hostage and not allowed to go outside the house. All this was taking place with the knowledge of the diplomat’s wife, daughter and father, all of whom have already left Delhi, she said. But they never tried to stop it. “Instead, we were brutally beaten by them as well. Sometimes, we had to survive on water because we were not given food. We were like sex slaves. He (the diplomat) used to offer us to his friends,” the other victim alleged. The terrible condition of the women came to light when another woman allgedly sold to the diplomat 10 days ago managed to escape and alerted Maiti Nepal India, an NGO that works in the area of human trafficking, child labour and prostitution. “After we got the information about the plight of the women, we went there but the bouncers appointed by the Saudi official did not let us enter the flat. We then contacted the Nepal embassy which wrote to the Ministry of External Affairs and Gurgaon police commissioner. The police raided the diplomat’s residence on Monday night and rescued the two. When the cops entered the flat, the women were being physically assaulted. The medical examination of the victims confirmed rape,” Maiti India co-ordinator Armina Guru told Firstpost. “The diplomat was living with his family members at Caitriona Towers, Ambience Lagoon. A case has been registered against the diplomat (without mentioning his name), his wife, daughter and father and few others from Saudi Arabia under sections 376 D (gangrape), 376 (rape), 377 (unnatural rape), 342 (wrongful confinement), 120 B (criminal conspiracy), 323 (causing hurt), 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code,” Gurgaon Police Commissioner Navdeep Singh Virk said. “We have also established the identity of the accused but the investigation would be done in accordance with the Vienna convention because the official enjoys diplomatic immunity,” he said. Asked if the diplomat can be summoned for questioning or an identification parade, the police commissioner said, ‘Whatever needs to be done will be done in coordination with the MEA. The ministry had sought a detailed report, which we have submitted.” The report contains details of the FIR, the statements of the victims, a statement from Maiti India and other evidence related to the case. It has also been sent to Saudi Embassy, Nepal Embassy and the Haryana Director General of Police. Lawyer Aishwarya Bhati ruled out any possibility of arresting the diplomat. “Unless the Saudi government feels that the nature of crime is heinous and it waives the diplomatic immunity, the envoy won’t face arrest,” Rathi, who practises in the Supreme Court said. “However, these privileges are aimed at ensuring that they work without fear, these are not meant to help them commit crimes,” she said. If an ambassador or member of a diplomatic mission is arrested and he claims diplomatic immunity, the police first verify his status with the MEA. If the detainee’s status is established, then the police are bound to let him or her go, regardless of the severity of the crime. “Therefore, the only punishment he (the diplomat) can be awarded is his immediate deportation, which the MEA can order. Deportation is usually only prescribed for the most heinous of crimes like murder or rape,” Bhati said.