Sub-agent James D’Mello Arrested in Nurse Jacintha Mendonca Case
Mangaluru: Recalling the news published in our portal (Nurse Jacintha Mendonca from Karkala forced into Slavery in Saudi) where a nurse named Jacintha Mendonca aged 46, hailing from Pernal in Karkala Taluk, who was promised a better nursing job in the Gulf by a local sub-agent named James, was forced in to slavery by her employer in Yanbhu, Saudi Arabia. James had promised Jacintha, a home nurse’s job in Qatar for a salary of Rs 25,000 per month, instead she was later taken to Saudi, where she had to look after the 10 children of her Saudi employer’s three wives, and was required to work for over 16 hours a day. Due to this Jacintha’s health had, deteriorated, and External Affairs Minister, Sushma Swaraj-MEA had stepped in to help Jacintha’s release from the hands of her employer’s- but until today Jacintha is still in Saudi, but looking forward to return to her hometown Karkala.
Jacintha’s son, Vinroy who had spoken to Team Mangalorean in June had said, “My mother has been sold for Rs five lakh by an agent. She is suffering terribly in Saudi Arabia. She is ill and is being beaten by the kafil. She is helpless. She has to be rescued. She was promised a job as a home nurse in Qatar for Rs 25,000 salary a month, but was trafficked to Saudi Arabia and pushed into slavery. Although we had lodged a complaint against the agent in Karkala police station in January this year, but what we know is that the agent was questioned and let off. My mother has not been rescued from slavery yet. Our last conversation was unimaginable. When she was speaking on the phone, someone came from behind and started beating her, and she dropped the phone with a loud cry. She was also coughing (blood) and mentioned that she had high fever,”.
In June 2017 the police had interrogated James D’Mello but was supposedly let off by the Mangaluru police then- now the police on Saturday have arrested James, aged 30, a resident of Kulshekar-Mangaluru based on a complaint by Jacintha’s son Vinroy Mendonca, and has been remanded in judicial custody. In the meantime, efforts are on to nab the main agent, who lives in Mumbai. Jacintha had left Mangaluru to Qatar on 19 June, 2016, but eventually landed in Saudi Arabia. The family had been receiving money regularly. However, in November 2016, Jacintha called her children to say she was being held captive under inhuman conditions by her employer in Saudi Arabia.
According to Police, they had interrogated James in June, when external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj had in a tweet directed the Indian ambassador in Saudi Arabia to bail out Jacintha. James had promised that he would pressure his main agent, Shabha Khan of Mumbai, to bring Jacintha back to India by the second week of July, but did not keep his word. During interrogation, James told police that the main agent had taken Rs 5 lakh from the ‘kafil’ (Saudi employer) and drawn up an agreement for two years. He later paid James Rs 25,000 for his job. However, the kafil is not allowing Jacintha to return until the agreement expires. But the police are trying their best to arrest the main agent soon.
But for the three children of Jacintha Mendonca back home here in Pernal, who are anxiously looking forward to their mother’s safe arrival is all in the hands of God, and the minister for external affairs (MEA) Sushma Swaraj, who has directed the Indian ambassador in Saudi Arabia to help her out.
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