Police reunite lost Assamese woman with family

A woman from Assam was stranded in Mumbai after being sent there by her employers in Oman. She was helped by kind women and the police.

MUMBAI: Amid the workaday chaos of Andheri railway station on December 13, a woman, clearly distressed and terrified, was attempting to communicate with people in a language nobody understood. A group of women, taking pity on her state, took her to Andheri police station for help.

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At the police station, a sense of relief finally settled on Asiya Bi, who had been through a series of nerve-wracking experiences over the past few days. Belonging to a remote village in the hills of Assam, the 38-year-old had gone to Oman on December 8 for a housekeeping job secured with the help of someone from her village who also worked there. When her employers realised that she knew no language other than Assamese, they put her on a flight to Mumbai within three days.

Asiya arrived in Mumbai on December 13. Her phone battery had by then drained out, alarming her younger brother Salimuddin who had been in touch with her all through this time. “She had no money to even buy a train ticket and neither did she know how to use technology,” said Salimuddin. “Her phone was the only way to send her whatever help I could from home.”

Meanwhile, Asiya was trying to figure out how to get from the international airport in Andheri to an outstation train terminus to board a train back home. She attempted to ask people at the airport for help but not knowing Hindi or Marathi, was unable to explain what she wanted. “She kept walking for a while and somehow reached Andheri railway station. From there, some women who saw her distressed brought her to the police station,” said Datta Nalawade, deputy commissioner of police, Zone 10.

At the police station, the cops learnt that Asiya was from Assam from her passport and summoned a local who knew Assamese to help them. “In the meantime, we tried to make her feel comfortable,” said Inspector Balaji Dahiphale. “She ate with our women officers while we charged her phone battery so that she could inform her family of her whereabouts.”

After the interpreter came and helped Asiya narrate her story, they all got on a video call with Salimuddin so that he could see his sister was well. The relieved brother told the police that he would leave for Mumbai immediately to take her back home.

As women cannot be kept at police stations overnight, the cops organised for Asiya to stay in a women’s shelter for the next couple of days. Salimuddin reached Mumbai on Friday, after which a tearful reunion took place between the siblings in the police station. “Before the meeting, we could see worry and fear in Asiya’s eyes despite her being comfortable,” said a woman officer who had kept Asiya company. “One look at her brother and the fear was replaced with relief.”

Salimuddin is very thankful to the Andheri police team, especially the women officers, who ensured that Asiya was safe and taken care of until his arrival. “For the one day that I could not get in touch with my sister, I was scared and worried, haunted by all sorts of negative thoughts,” he said. I cannot express how grateful I am to the Mumbai police for looking after her.”

After completing the necessary formalities, the police helped the siblings book train tickets back to their village at the earliest. On Saturday morning, the duo left for home with good memories of Mumbai and the Mumbai police.