A 16-year-old girl who has been working as a domestic help in inhumane conditions was rescued by the Delhi Police from southeast Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh area, as confirmed by the police on Saturday (November 7, 2026). The minor was employed by a lady named Sadaf living in a house in Abul Fazal Enclave-II. Sadaf has been arrested by the police and sent to judicial custody.
Minor girl reveals disturbing details of continuous abuse by employer
The girl had been working in extremely brutal conditions. She was made to work for 20 hours a day, was deprived of food and was burnt with a hot rod. The 16-year-old domestic help rescued by the police is a resident of Shram Vihar Jhuggi in Shaheen Bagh. After being rescued, she told the police that she was made to work from 6 am to 2 am, doing household chores such as sweeping, mopping, washing utensils and cleaning the house.
The victim was not given anything to eat until 11 am, when she was given tea along with some leftover food. She revealed that she was repeatedly burnt with a hot iron on her back, hands and hips and also wounded with a heated knife by Sadaf.
Further disclosing the horrifying details of her abuse, the girl said that she was once deprived of food and water for three days and was beaten over minor mistakes. She was injured due to the beating, but her employer did not take her to a doctor and instead gave her medicines purchased from a local medical store.
The authorities said that the girl was not allowed to meet her parents and was allowed to speak to them over the phone only two or three times a year. During the calls with her parents, her face was covered to hide scars and injury marks. According to the NGO, the girl was introduced for employment by another woman. Her employer, Sadaf, paid her around ₹18,000 for about a year of work.
Traumatised by the constant abuse, the 16-year-old girl working as domestic help remained afraid to speak up before the police
Constant abuse left such a deep impression on the minor that she was initially afraid to speak up before the authorities. She said that she was threatened with death if she revealed anything. Later, she narrated everything to Child Welfare Committee (CWC) officials. Her statement was also recorded before a magistrate. She will be admitted to the AIIMS for medical treatment.
On the orders of Kalkaji SDM, a case was lodged at the Shaheen Bagh Police Station to register a case under the provisions of the Child and Adolescent Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986, and the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 on November 4, 2026.
The abuse of the minor girl was flagged by an NGO working for child rights. The organisation filed a complaint with the police, informing them that the minor was employed as a child labourer in Kalkaji subdivision. A rescue operation was launched by the Labour Department, Delhi Police and NGO representatives on November 3 and 4, 2026, on the direction of the Kalkaji sub-divisional magistrate (SDM).
