The 26-year-old domestic help, who worked in a house in Benson Town, was let down by her ‘husband’ as well as her employer Shabnam. And now, the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) has taken up cudgels on her behalf.
Malathi hails from Orissa. She was orphaned at a very young age and was raised by her uncle. She moved to the City recently. “She fell in love with a Nepali man and married him in a temple. He ditched her after she became pregnant,” said Santosh Vas, chairperson, Committee II of CWC.

To sustain herself, she started working as a domestic help in Shabnam’s house on Bank Road in Benson Town. During the advanced stages of pregnancy, she asked for leave to go home for delivery.

“But her employer insisted that she would bear the hospital expenses and persuaded Malathi to have her delivery in the City. A gullible Malathi agreed and stayed back. She gave birth to a girl child on June 29 at Seeta Bhatija Nursing Home,” said Ms Vas.

“Soon after birth, Shabnam took the baby away from her mother and allegedly ‘sold’ it to a family waiting outside the hospital. When Malathi enquired about her child, Shabnam told her that a family from Kolar district has agreed to temporarily take care of the child and would return her soon,” she added.

Hapless mother
In the next three months, Malathi was not allowed to see her daughter. Last week, Shabnam informed her that her daughter’s ‘foster parents’ have decided to raise her and they would not give the child back.

She also terminated Malathi’s services.
A distraught Malathi shared her grief with her friend, also a domestic maid, who brought the matter before her employer.

She decided to fight for justice for Malathi and approached Makkala Sahaya Vani, a child helpline which in turn referred her to the CWC. 

CWC now plans to write a letter to Kolar police to help the Santhwana unit of Janodaya, a women’s helpline run by the State government, to get the child from the family.

“A lawyer from Janodaya will visit Kolar this week. The child will be handed over to the mother provided she is there. We may also send Shabnam along with the Benson Town police to help identify the family. We are planning to get Malathi a shelter in State Home for Women,” said Ms Vas, adding that once the child is recovered, Santhwana will file an FIR against Shabnam.

Police will also probe the alleged sale of the infant and the amount of money involved.