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IN PHOTOS: Mumbai woman, trafficked to Pakistan 24 years ago, finally returns home

Hamida Banu, a Kurla resident, was trafficked to Pakistan 24 years ago, and her return to India was a long-awaited reunion with her family, thanks to the efforts of Pakistani imam and YouTuber Waliullah Maroof. The 67-year-old, after a long journey that spanned decades, recalls her emotional moment at the Wagah border when she finally saw the Indian flag flutter, realising she was home. (PICS/Sayyed Sameer Abedi)

Updated On: 2024-12-19 11:14 AM IST

Compiled by : Anisha Shrivastava

(PICS/Sayyed Sameer Abedi)
Banu's life in Pakistan was marked by hardship and survival, having been trafficked on the false promise of a job. She spent years separated from her children, yet never losing hope of being reunited with them. Her journey began in 2002 when she was deceived by a woman in Mulund who sold her to traffickers. After being held captive in Hyderabad, Sindh, she was forced into a life far from her family.
For three months, Banu and four other women were held in a hut with their passports taken away. Despite the dire situation, Banu found strength in warning those who threatened her, holding onto her spirit of defiance. Banu's escape from captivity led her to a life in Karachi, where she remarried a Pakistani man and cared for his children, though she never stopped missing her own family back in India.
Her second husband, who treated her with great care, knew her true identity as an Indian, but to protect her, referred to her as ‘Pardeshi,’ or foreigner. Banu's life with him was marked by kindness, despite the complex nature of her circumstances. Banu's deep affection for her stepchildren, particularly her granddaughters, continued even after her return to India. She recalls their desire for her to visit them again in Pakistan, despite her emotional attachment to her Indian family.
Banu’s long stay in Pakistan was not filled with hatred; she often roamed the streets alone and encountered great kindness from the locals, which contrasted with the trauma of her initial abduction. Her identity remained concealed for much of her time in Pakistan, and it wasn’t until a 2022 viral video about her life in Pakistan that people began to question who she was, eventually leading to the discovery of her true identity.
The video, shared on social media, prompted the Indian embassy in Pakistan to step in, and after a series of checks, Banu’s Indian citizenship was confirmed, paving the way for her eventual return. Waliullah Maroof, who had been helping trafficked individuals for years, came to Banu's aid after her story gained attention. He assisted in connecting her with her family and saw her through the bureaucratic hurdles.

Maroof’s efforts began in 2018, initially helping Bangladeshis reunite with their families, and Banu’s case became his only successful reuniting of an Indian citizen.
The emotional journey culminated in Banu’s return, and though she’s now reunited with her family in India, she holds a deep fondness for the children she raised in Pakistan, a bittersweet reminder of her years spent there.

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