Woman holds domestic help hostage in Noida home, booked

A 20-year-old domestic help was rescued on Tuesday from an apartment in a posh society in Noida where she was allegedly held hostage and assaulted by her employer for nearly two months, police said.

The employer, Shefali Koul, an advocate, lives in Cleo County society in Sector 121 and has been booked under sections 344 (illegal confinement beyond 10 days), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 504 (insult) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), they said.

According to the help’s father, who lodged the complaint with the Phase 3 police station, his daughter had a six-month work contract with Koul which ended on October 31.

“After the contract ended, my daughter wanted to leave her place but she did not let her go. She held my daughter hostage at her home where she assaulted her and hurled abuses at her,” the complainant alleged.

On Tuesday, the woman was trying to escape from Koul’s fourth-floor apartment using a rope when someone informed the police, he said.

“My daughter was then brought to the local police station,” the father said.

A CCTV footage of an elevator in the society also surfaced on Tuesday, purportedly showing Koul dragging the domestic help out of the lift. The video is stated to be from a fortnight ago.

Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central Noida) Saad Miya Khan said, “An FIR has been lodged at the Phase 3 police station. Evidence is being collected and further legal action would be taken accordingly.”