Binod Kumal, a resident of Phedi village in Bidur Municipality-4, became overjoyed when he heard that his mother was still alive. Kumal’s mother, Ganga Maya, who had gone to Saudi Arabia, was not in contact with her family for 10 years.

“We had thought that our mother had left this world. We were also given similar information,” he said. “We had actually given up hope of reuniting with mom. But now I can’t wait to meet her.”

Ganga Maya was working at Ta'if and her employer had not allowed her to contact her family. The whereabouts of Gang Maya was revealed on March 8 after her employer went to Nepali Consulate General’s Office at Jeddah to renew her passport.

“A Saudi Arabian man came to the embassy seeking to renew the passport for 10 years. When closely observed, the passport didn’t have any records of sending the passport holder back to Nepal,” said the officiating consulate general Rewati Poudel. “Then we told him that Ganga Maya should also show up at the embassy. Later it was found that he had brought Ganga Maya along. But we didn’t let her go back with them once she came inside the embassy.”

Ganga Maya’s hand-written passport had expired on February 17, 2018. Though Ganga Maya was carrying a hand-written passport, the Saudi authority had been renewing her residential permit. At first, she said she wanted to stay in Saudi fearing her employer. When the Nepali officials asked her to speak in Nepali, she shared her ordeal and torture.

“I wasn’t allowed to go home even when my husband and father died,” said Ganga Maya, “I had no hope of getting back to Nepal. I thought I would die here.” She added that her employer even snatched the number of her family and relatives.  “The employer kept me out of contact from other people. I came here leaving behind a son and a daughter. They might have grown older now.”

The Saudi employer had reportedly paid her salary for the first fourth months. According to Poudel, the labour court made the employer pay 30,000 Saudi Riyal for salary of seven years. “We took Ganga Maya and her employer to police station. But the police didn’t give good response and sent us to court,” said Poudel. “We had to file a case nearby her employer’s place.”

The court said Ganga Maya’s employer provided her the money after deducting her personal expenses. “She is now in the embassy’s shelter. We will send her back to Nepal after completing the due process,” said Poudel.