“She had promised to return after three years.
However, we´ve not received a call or letter for 11 years now,” Padamsori, 69, Rai´s mother said. Januka was 20 when she left for Kathmandu with an agent. [break]
Januka had paid 35,000 rupees to a local woman named Lulu to go to Kuwait. After Januka lost touch, family members repeatedly searched for Lulu, but to avail. “We didn´t care much as the agent told us that she would return after three years with the money would earn,” Chitra, her brother said.
However, when Januka didn´t return after three years, Chitra had suspicions. Only then did he start to look for his sister. “I went to Kathmandu to look for her. The agent showed me a photocopy of her visa to assure me that she´s still in Kuwait. But how am I to trust whether she flew to Kuwait?” Chitra questioned.
Sometime later, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Januka committed suicide. However, her family members didn´t believe it. “How can we trust she committed suicide without any proof?” Bhakta, another brother questioned.
Januka´s family members are still searching for her. Chitra still does not believe that his sister was flown to Kuwait. He said he would look for the agent and ask him to show the airplane ticket. “So long as we don´t find our sister, we don´t care for the expenses,” Chitra said.
Januka´s mother hasn´t lost hope of her daughter´s arrival. “Her father loved her a lot. He searched for his daughter till the last moment,” Padamsori said. Her husband, Nara Bahadur died six years ago.
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