This 15-year-old girl was allegedly tortured by her employers in Delhi
A Delhi court will today hear the bail petition of 50-year-old Vandana Dhir, who has been arrested on charges of torturing a teen from Jharkhand who worked at her residence. The teenager was rescued from Ms Dhir's South Delhi home on Monday, semi-naked and with her head battered.
The teen is in hospital. "I want to study," the girl told NDTV from her hospital ward on Friday, where doctors believe she is recovering well.
The teen was trafficked by a placement agency whose owner Dorothy has been arrested by the police.
The rescued girl's mother, who was located in village Ahebganj in Malda district, was brought to Delhi by the police. She says her daughter has told her that she was hit with hot pans, a dog chain and knives over the year that she spent working as Ms Dhir's domestic help. She allegedly also complained that she was made to drink her employer's urine, and was forced to eat her meals and sleep in a toilet.
A judge handling the trial of Ms Dhir has given the police till 12 pm today to have the teen's statement recorded in hospital in the presence of a magistrate, so that it can be admitted as evidence in court.
The case has highlighted the abuse of domestic helps in the capital where thousands of workers, often children are trafficked from remote and poverty-stricken states.