Man searches daughter for 3 years, in vain

Lost in City

Budhi Ram Munda has been roaming on the streets for over three years, trying to locate his daughter who was brought to Delhi to work as a domestic help.

Bogged down with fears of losing his 13-year-old daughter, Munda decided to take a loan from a fellow villager and stay in Delhi to continue the search.

However, his daughter is still missing. “I have searched every street and corner of the city, especially Shakurpur near Netaji Subhash Place in north Delhi. I made several visits to Delhi in the last three years. For the last three months, I have been living on the streets and sleeping on the railway station,” said Munda, who hails from Khundi village in Chaibasa district of Jharkhand.

Munda’s eldest daughter, was brought to Delhi by a couple, Seema and Sameer, on the pretext of providing her employment as a domestic help. The couple, who runs a placement agency in Shakur basti, assured a monthly salary of Rs 4,000. However, the money stopped reaching the family after a few months.

It has been two-and-a-half years since Munda heard from his daughter last. “I have a feeling that something wrong has happened to her. I have tried to file police complaints several times but they did not listen to me,” he said.

With the help of some local people, Munda managed to locate the couple’s house near the Netaji Subhash Place.

“I approached them asking about my daughter’s whereabouts but they did not listen to me. They beat me up and threatened to kill me if I do not leave the city,” he alleged.

However, with the help of a woman who noticed him on the streets, Munda approached a child rights group who is now planning to move the High Court.

Rakesh Senger of the Bachpan Bachao Andolan said the NGO has organised several
raids in Shakurpur and rescued minors who were trafficked from different parts of the country. “The area is a hub of illegal placement agencies,” he said.

According to a survey by the NGO, there are over 2,300 placement agencies in Delhi. Close to 310 agencies are in this area.

“Maximum trafficking takes place in this area as most of the agencies are illegal. Also, girls are sent to Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, Punjab and Bangalore,” said Senger.