16-Yr-Old Girl Chopped To Death For Demanding Salary; Was Lured From Jharkhand To Work As A Maid In Delhi

On May 4, a group of children saw a human leg floating in a drain in Rao Vihar area of New Delhi. The children informed the locals who then called the police. Upon investigation, the dismembered body of a teenage girl was found disposed of in the drain. Yesterday, Delhi police arrested 30-year-old, Manjeet Kareketa, on suspicion of murder.

As reported by NDTV, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Rajender Singh Sagar said, “Kareketa was arrested on a tip-off from Nangloi. During questioning, he confessed that he killed the victim identified as Soni Kumari, 16, chopped her body with the help of his associates and later threw it in an open drain.”

Soni Kumari lost her father many years ago and used to live with her mother and two brothers in Malgo village, Jharkhand. Soni was lured to Delhi on the pretext of a high-paying job. For the last year, she worked as a maid for a monthly salary of Rs 6500. Reports suggest that Soni’s body was found chopped into at least 12 pieces.

Manjeet Kareketa, a native of Jharkhand, stayed in a rented property in Nangloi, west Delhi. As per reports, Kareketa, along with his accomplices, Gauri and Sahu, ran an illegal maid agency. They used to get poor and vulnerable girls from out of state and then got them employed as maids in Delhi. However, whatever salary the girls used to earn from their work was fully pocketed by Kareketa and his cronies.

As reported by Hindustan Times, an official said, “Kumari worked at a few homes in the city before being hired by a businessman’s family in East of Kailash. But her monthly salary would be pocketed by the people who brought her to Delhi. Karketa would justify pocketing the money by telling her employer that he was Kumari’s brother. It also helped prevent the girl from escaping.”

As per reports, Soni approached Kareketa for the money which was rightfully hers. She wanted to go back to her home and her family. Over the past few weeks, her demands grew more persistent. Tired of her demands and afraid that Soni might go to the police, Kareketa told Soni that he will give her the money, and she can go back to Jharkhand. It was on this pretext, Kareketa and his accomplices took her from her employer’s place on April 3, and then murdered, butchered, and dumped her body in cold-blood.

According to the police, on review of the CCTV footage from the area, two people were seen carrying a bag but their faces were blurry. Taking a photograph of the victim, the police visited 2500 houses before finally, somebody identified Soni from her photo. Police teams were sent to 45 villages in Jharkhand in search of the suspects before Kareketa was nabbed based on a tip-off.

The Logical Indian Take

Life of a young father-less girl was extinguished brutally, and in cold-blood in our nation’s capital. She came to Delhi hoping for a better life instead she was trapped in modern slavery. For a whole year, Soni Kumari worked as a maid in somebody’s house and couldn’t tell them that she was forcibly kept and her captors are pocketing her entire salary. She only wanted her hard-earned money to go back to her village in Jharkhand. Let that sink in.

How many of us can honestly say that they treat their maids, watchmen, drivers etc as humans? What does it say about our country, if such a thing can happen in our capital?

The only solace in this sordid tale is the swift response of the Delhi police to catch the accused after a thorough investigation.