Sixteen Nepali citizens from the Musahar settlement of Bardibas Municipality-14, Mahottari, who had been held in bonded-like conditions by an employer in Haryana, India, have been brought back and handed over to their families on Wednesday evening at the Bhittamod border police post.
The group had travelled to Haryana, India, on March 27 along with a larger group of 34 people in search of employment at a poultry farm located in Jhajjar, Haryana. However, 16 of them were later found to be held in exploitative conditions.
The rescued individuals include Bishnu Sada (35), Mahawati Sada (30), Arun Sada (10), Amrit Sada (26), Kiran Sada (19), Jhari Sada (35), Lalmuni Sada (34), Kajal Sada (17), Sajan Sada (13), Shankar Sada (9), Mohan Sada (40), Bachi Sada (45), Mukesh Sada (18), Ashish Sada (15), Ajay Sada (17) and Kiran Sada (12), among others.
They were handed over to their families in the presence of concerned authorities, security agency chiefs, Bardibas Municipality-14 ward chairperson Bijay Kumar Mahato, and representatives of the Afanta Nepal Foundation at the Bhittamod border post, according to Chief District Officer of Mahottari, Indra Dev Yadav.
CDO Yadav said initial investigations suggest that the victims were not involved in human trafficking but had travelled to India for employment with their own consent.
However, they were allegedly deprived of proper wages and freedom of movement after reaching the workplace.
He said that although they were promised salary and accommodation, they were only provided food and shelter while being forced to work and were not allowed to return home.
Following complaints received at the Bardibas Area Police Office, a search operation was initiated with coordination from relevant authorities.
After contacting the Indian Consulate General in Birgunj and the Nepali Embassy in New Delhi, the victims were located at a poultry farm in Haryana with the help of the embassy and an organisation called Afanta India Foundation. They were subsequently rescued by Indian police and sent back to Nepal.
According to CDO Yadav, the rescued individuals included five men above 18 years, four women, two boys under 18 and five girls under 18, making a total of 16 persons, who were officially handed over on Wednesday.
Victims said they were subjected to physical abuse and forced labour. One of the victims, Jai Sada, said they were beaten if they refused to work and were not allowed to rest properly.
Another victim, Mahawati Sada, said they were threatened with police action and forced to work for months without pay.
Family members expressed relief after their return. The mother of victim Jai Sada said she had no clear information about her son’s condition and only later learned about his ordeal.
She thanked all individuals and organisations involved in bringing her son back safely.
Representatives of Afanta Nepal said the workers were initially promised IC 9,000 for women and 12,000 for men along with food and accommodation, but were later denied wages and forced into exploitative conditions.
The victims were reportedly sent to India through an agent from Bardibas–3, Gauridanda, who had promised attractive salaries and facilities.
Locals said such incidents continue to occur due to poverty, illiteracy and lack of employment opportunities, and stressed the need for stronger awareness and monitoring mechanisms to prevent such cases in the future.
