HYDERABAD: The last four months of Varfolomeyeva Zulfiya, the 26-year-old Uzbek woman who was rescued from a sex trade racket in the city, were spent in a rescue home in Amangal. While not in isolation, Zulfiya’s conversations with three of her fellow inmates never went beyond polite smiles as there always existed a language barrier. Her ailing mother’s worsening health condition was also a reason for which she yearned to get out of the rescue home. She was reportedly collecting money, through flesh trade, for her mother’s treatment.
While Zulfiya spent her time at the rescue home in Hyderabad, none of her family members approached the authorities concerned for her custody. This, reportedly, left her depressed.
Delhi connect
Born in Delhi, and a resident of Tashkent in Uzbekistan, Zulfiya was found hanging from the ceiling of Prajwala’s rescue home in Amangal on Friday. At the time of her rescue from her traffickers, she had told the police that she was a resident of Govindpuri in Kalkaji of New Delhi. She also had a voter identification card in her name with the same address which the Rachakonda special operations team sleuths had recovered earlier.
Speaking about the language barrier she faced, Amangal sub inspector A Malleshwar said that her three roommates were asked about any unusual behaviour on Zulfiya’s part. “They said they could not communicate with her due to the language barrier. We found that she was unable to speak any language other than her mother tongue,” Malleshwar said. They informed the cops that she used to smile as a way to greet them, and mostly stayed calm, the sub inspector added.
Delhi police could not locate address given by Zulfiya
The attempts of Amangal police to reach out to her family members have failed as the Govindpuri police in Delhi could not locate the address provided by Zulfiya to the Saroornagar police. Amangal circle inspector N Venkateshwarlu said, “Zulfiya wanted to go back to Uzbekistan, but as per the procedures, the rehabilitation centre does not have a right to take any decision, and they counselled her to wait for her family members or relatives to arrive. None of them approached the Rangareddy court to take her back.”
When questioned by the Saroornagar police earlier, Zulfiya had reportedly said that she entered flesh trade to collect money for her mother’s treatment in Delhi. Her mother’s treatment brought her to India frequently.
Cops waiting for kin
The Amangal police, who have kept Zulfiya’s body at Kalwakurthi government hospital, want to wait for some more time expecting to reach out to her family members. “Usually the unclaimed bodies are preserved for about three to four days at the mortuary. As Zulfiya’s parents stay in Uzbekistan, and so far her relatives have also not been traced, we will wait for more time than usual to hand over the body,” said CI Venkateshwarlu