Two days after an eight-year-old girl was rescued from a condominium in Sector 137, Noida, her employer, Shahjahan, was arrested for physical assault and violating the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act. The arrest, which took place on Wednesday evening, followed the registration of an FIR against Shahjahan’s wife, the minor’s mother, and two relatives who had brought the child from Jharkhand nearly a year ago.
Shahjahan, a Delhi Metro driver, was apprehended at his flat in Logix Blossom County. He claimed that he had agreed to employ the girl to financially assist her family. According to ACP 3 (Central Noida), Baba Sahab Vir Kumar, Shahjahan told investigators that the girl was from his village, Azad Nagar in Bokaro. He further explained that his in-laws knew the girl’s maternal uncle and aunt, who lived in the same neighborhood. Shahjahan alleged that the girl’s mother had remarried after the death of her first husband and claimed that the child was being tortured by her stepfather. As a result, her mother wanted to send her away.
Shahjahan stated that the girl had been employed as a caretaker for his three-year-old daughter, and that he had been sending Rs 5,000 per month to her mother. Despite these claims, the investigation revealed the girl’s exploitation and abuse, leading to the formal charges against Shahjahan and other family members involved.