Kamala Murmu Held Hostage in Iraq for Three Years: Plea for Rescue Goes Unheard

Kamala Murmu, a 30-year-old resident of Arjundhara Municipality-6, has been enduring a harrowing ordeal as she remains held hostage by an unidentified gang in Iraq. Her anguished mother, Lakhi Murmu, has made an impassioned plea for her daughter’s rescue.

Lakhi Murmu revealed that three years ago, her daughter Kamala fell victim to a nefarious scheme orchestrated by human traffickers. Under the pretext of offering her foreign employment in Oman, Kamala was “sold” and transported to Iraq. For the initial six months, there was no communication, but since then, sporadic voice messages have been Kamala’s only connection with her family. In these messages, Kamala communicates her dire situation, confessing that she has been held hostage by the gang.

Kamala, who left her eight-year-old daughter in the care of her grandmother Lakhi, was compelled to seek opportunities abroad after her husband, who resided in Gujarat, India, abandoned her.

The family has accused Govinda Kattel of Itahari and Madan Kharel of Birtamod-1 of being complicit in Kamala’s journey to Iraq. These individuals, under the pretense of securing a promising job in Oman, transported Kamala to the dangerous territory of Iraq.

Lakhi Murmu disclosed the harrowing conditions her daughter is facing – constant fear for her life, inadequate sustenance, enforced sleep on cold flooring, and grueling forced labor. Kamala’s desperate messages convey her apprehension that the gang might resort to killing her if no rescue efforts are undertaken.

Despite alerting local authorities, including the police office, ward office, municipality, and rescue organizations like Maiti Nepal, the victim’s family bemoans the lack of earnest interest in Kamala’s rescue from these agencies.

Kopila Basnet, the President of Samunnat Nepal and a lawyer, became involved after Lakhi Murmu reached out to her due to the absence of any proactive measures to secure Kamala’s freedom. Basnet issued a plea to the government and administrative bodies, urging them to mobilize their efforts swiftly in rescuing Kamala Murmu from her hostage situation in a foreign land.