A joint team of Delhi Commission for Women, KI Nepal and Indian police personnel rescued 16 Nepali women from a house in Munirka area of Indian Capital New Delhi, on Tuesday night India, after prolonged efforts.

When the rescue team reached the house after prolonged efforts, the trafficked Nepali women looked tired, most of them suffering from fever and common cold. The women were taken hostage by the agents on the pretext of sending them to Iraq, Kuwait and Dubai.

Among the women aged 20-35, only two were unmarried. They have been kept at the shelter of Delhi Commission following the rescue.

According to Swati Maliwal, Chairperson of Delhi Commission for Women, the rescued women would be sent back to Nepal after completing all required procedures. She said the women were confined to two small rooms of a six-storey building in Munirka area and were being trafficked to Iraq and Kuwait.

These women were trafficked to Delhi on various dates—some a month ago, and while others two days ago.

The agents had taken passports of the women before they reached Delhi, Swati Maliwal said.

Anukala Magar, one of the rescued women, a native of Morang, said that she was brought to the house with the assurance that she will be taken to Iraq or Kuwait for a job with a monthly of Rs 30,000.

All the 16 women were brought to Delhi via Sunauli.

The agent had taken Anukala and another woman to the Indira Gandhi International Airport a week ago to send them to Kuwait. Airport officials later arrested them citing that their ‘No Objection” letters were fake. They were released after few hours.

Though Nepal government has banned women from working in the Gulf countries, human traffickers use various channels to traffic them to the banned countries.

The agents have been sending Nepali women to the gulf countries via India after the government banned women from working in Gulf countries.

The government had made it mandatory for Nepali women to acquire ‘No Objection Letter’ from the Nepali Embassy in India before going to the Gulf countries from Indian cities.

“It is a big issue that people are making fake No Objection Letter, Nepal government should become serious about it,” Swati said.

When asked about fake No Objection Letter, Hari Odari, spokesperson at the Nepali Embassy in India, said, “The Embassy has not issued any No Objection Letter to those wishing to go to Gulf countries from India.”