Pooja disappeared on January 22, 2013 when she was seven years old. She says the couple picked her up near a school in the city of Mumbai, in the western Indian state of Maharashtra.
On August 4, she was found in what her mother describes as “miraculous escape“. Now he is 16 years old.
“I lost hope of finding my daughter. But the gods have been kind to mesays his mother, Poonam Gowd.
Police say the girl was kidnapped by Harry D’Souza and his wife Sonia D’Souza because the couple did not have a child of their own.
Harry D’Souza was arrested.
Before her disappearance, Pooja lived with her two brothers and parents in a small house in a suburban slum.
On the day she disappeared, she went to school with her older brother, but they had an argument and her brother came to the school and left her because he was late. Exactly then pair promised to buy him ice cream and he took her.
Pooja says the couple took her first to Goa and then to Karnataka, states in western and southern India. they threatened to harm her if he cried or attracted attention.
He says he was allowed to attend school for a short time. However, after the couple had their own child, they took her away and all moved to Bombay.
Pooja says the abuse increased after the baby was born.
“I was hit with a belt, kicked, punched. Once I was hit with a rolling pin so hard that my back bled. They also made me do housework and work 12 to 24 hours away from home.”
The house D’Souza lived in was next to her family’s, but she didn’t know the roads, she was constantly followed, she had no money, no phone, and she couldn’t ask for help or try to find It.
lucky escape
One day, Pooja took the couple’s mobile phone while they were sleeping and wrote his name on YouTube. She found videos and posters that mentioned her kidnapping, as well as phone numbers where she could call for help.
“It was then that I decided to seek help and run away,” she says.
But it took him seven months to muster up the courage enough to discuss it with Pramila Devendra, 35, a housekeeper who worked in the same house where Pooja worked as a nanny.
Devendra immediately agreed to help her. One of the numbers on the poster of the missing belonged to Rafik, a neighbor of Pooja’s mother. Mother and daughter spoke first by video link, and then a meeting was organized.
His mother says he was looking a birthmark that only she knew existed, on her daughter and, having found it, was overwhelmed with excitement. “All my doubts immediately disappeared. I knew I had found my daughter,” he says.
Devendra is happy to be a part of this reunion. “Every mother should help a child who turns to her for help. We may not be their biological mothers, but we are still mothers”, He says.
As soon as they were reunited, Pooja, some relatives and Devendra went to the police station to file a complaint. “I told the police everything. I even told them where my kidnappers live,” the teenager said.
Thanks to your story The police managed to identify and arrest the accused.
Milind Kurde, chief inspector of the DN Nagar police station in Mumbai, told the BBC that there have been several cases filed against individuals accused of kidnapping, threatening, physical abuse and violating child labor laws.
Love conquers all
Pooja’s return home brought joy not only to her family, but to everyone who knew her. Neighbors who saw her when she was little go to visit her.
Meanwhile, her mother tries make up for lost time with daughterwhile preparing her favorite food and putting her to bed. They try to spend as much time as possible together, but at the moment they have a difficult life.
Pooja’s father, who was the only breadwinner in the family, died four months ago from cancer. So her mother took a job as a sandwich vendor at the train station to support her three children. But profits are meager and he struggles to make ends meet.
“Now I also have legal fees. Our condition is such that if I miss a day of work, we will not have money for food the next day.”
Pooja is still going through his trauma.. He has nightmares and is sad that he will never be able to see his father again. For safety reasons, she spends most of her time at home or goes outside accompanied by a family member.
“I want to help my mother financially, but they don’t let me. I want to study too,” he says.
Despite these problems, the mother claims that she could not be happier. “The work is exhausting, but every time I see Pooja, I find strength again. I’m so happy he’s back“.
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Source: La Opinion
David Ortiz is an opinionated and well-versed author, known for his thought-provoking and persuasive writing on various matters. He currently works as a writer at 24 news breaker, where he shares his insight and perspective on today’s most pressing issues. David’s unique voice and writing style make his articles a must-read for those seeking a different point of view.