Kathmandu (AsiaNews) - A New Delhi court has issued a warrant for the arrest of a Saudi diplomat, accused of abusing and kidnapped two women of Nepalese origin for more than five months at his private residence in the Indian capital.
The court has asked for the maximum punishment and the embassy of Nepal has lodged the case with the Indian Foreign Minister, to ensure that justice is guaranteed despite the man’s international diplomatic status. A Nepalese diplomat said he had found the women in serious condition, exploited for sexual pleasures of the man and his friends.
The affair was made public by Maiti India, an association that defends women victims of human trafficking. Balkrishna Pandey, founder of the movement, reports that the diplomat is accused of violating seven Indian laws, but "the lawsuit will go ahead despite the consular protection he enjoys."
The man is accused of violence and human trafficking against Juna Damai (30 years) and Gita Tamang (50 years old), two women from Nepal, lured to his home under the guise of a good job. The women were locked up in a wing of the building and exploited to satisfy the man’s sexual appetites.
The youngest, still obviously shaken by the experience, tells AsiaNews: "At first he asked us to work as cooks and assistants. Instead we were exploited not only by him but also by several of his friends. If we confessed abuse, he said we would be killed. "
She also reports that "many young Nepalese women, and even some Indian, were taken by him. They were lured with offers of good jobs in Saudi Arabia, but we believe that they have been sold. " "Sometimes he took us into the jungle to preform strange sexual practices. Often we were subjected to gang violence. "
The victims reported that they were also forced to travel to Saudi Arabia, always at the service of the diplomat. The Light House Foundation, an organization against trafficking in women, has offered both women all the necessary support and to help them return home to Nepal at the end of the trial.