Gujarati woman being tortured by Riyadh family rescued: Minister

 A woman from Ahmedabad district, who has allegedly been tortured by a family in Riyadh, has been rescued with the help of External Affairs Ministry, state Education Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama said today.

Hafijabanu Rajabhusen (30) is set to return to her hometown Dholka in the district this week, he said.

The minister, who represents Dholka seat as MLA, tweeted that he learnt about her plight through a newspaper report and subsequently took up the matter with the district Collector and State Home Ministry.

"Hafijabanu Rajabhusen, trapped in Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, was being exploited and tortured by a local Arabia family every day," Chudasama stated.

The minister said the state Home Ministry informed the Ministry of External Affairs about the matter, following which the Indian embassy in Riyadh was contacted.

"The woman has been rescued from the culprits and is returning to India. With the joint efforts of the state administration and External Affairs ministry, the victim has been rescued from the house of the Arabic family, and her tickets for Ahmedabad from Riyadh are booked for March 16," he posted.

The woman went to Dubai on a tourist visa in May 2016 and was subsequently taken to Riyadh.

"I was also informed that an agent had approached Hafizabanu with a job offer in Saudi Arabia and had sought Rs 2.5 lakh to get her back. The agent is questioned," he said.