Kathmandu: The Nepali government has ramped up efforts to rescue and repatriate Nepalis who were held hostage in India under false pretenses. The Ministry of Women, Children, and Senior Citizens has taken decisive action to assist these individuals, who were lured to Kashmir with promises of lucrative wages for road construction work but were subsequently forced to labor in conflict zones without pay.
According to Ministry Secretary Dinesh Bhattarai, the government was alerted by the Indian NGO ‘KIN India’ about the plight of 28 Nepali men—seven from Dhanusha and 21 from Siraha—aged between 24 and 60, who had been held captive.
In response, the Ministry, in collaboration with the Nepali Embassy in India and with support from ‘KIN India,’ successfully facilitated the rescue of the hostages. The rescued individuals were transported to Janakpur, where they were reunited with their families.
The Ministry has reaffirmed its commitment to prioritizing the rescue and protection of victims of human trafficking. In a recent development, the 28 men were formally reunited with their families in Dhanusha, in an event attended by Minister for Women, Children, and Senior Citizens Nawal Kishor Sah Sudi, Secretary Bhattarai, and Joint Secretary Abha Shrestha Karn.