Girl wey dem kidnap at age seven see her family again afta nine years

Afta nine years, 16-year-old Pooja Gaud fit rest her head ontop her mama lap.

Pooja bin go missing on 22 January 2013 wen she dey seven years old. She tok say dem pick am up outside her school for Mumbai city for di western Indian state of Maharashtra by one couple wey lure am wit ice-cream.

On 4 August, dem find am for wetin dem describe as "miraculous escape". Her mama, Poonam Gaud, say she happi well well.

"I bin don give up hope say I go find my daughter. But di gods dey kind to me,” she tok.

Police don allege say na Harry D’Souza and im wife Soni D’Souza kidnap Pooja sake of say dem no get pikin. Dem don arrest Oga D’Souza.

Before she go missing, Pooja bin dey live wit her two brothers and dia mama for one small house for di suburban slum area.

On dat day wey she go missing, she bin go school wit her elder broda.

But both of dem fight and her broda enta school and leave am behind sake of say im don late.

Na dat time di couple allegedly take am away as dem promise to buy am ice-cream.

Pooja tok say di couple bin first take am to Goa and den to Karnataka.

Di two na states for western and southern India.

She say di couple threaten to hurt am if she cry or draw attention to herself.

She say dem allow am to attend school for short while, but afta di couple get dia own pikin dem komot am from school and shift to Mumbai.

Pooja say di abuse worse afta dem born dia baby.

“Dem go beat me wit belt, kick me, punch me. One time dem beat me wit rolling pin so tey my back start to bleed.

"Dem make me do house chores and work 12 to 24 hours job outside.”

Di house wia di D’Souzas live dey close to her family house but she say she no dey familiar wit di roads.

She dey dem dey always watch am and she no get money or phone and she no fit reach out for help or try to find her way home.

One lucky escape

But one day, Pooja manage to take di couple phone wen dem dey sleep and type her name for YouTube.

She find videos and posters wey mention her kidnapping and numbers wey she fit call for help.

"Na dat time I decide to seek help and escape,” she tok.

But e take am seven months before she get courage to discuss am wit Pramila Devendra, 35, one domestic helper wey work for di same house wey Pooja work as babysitter.

Ms Devendra immediately agree to help am.

One of di numbers on di missing poster connect dem to Rafiq, one neighbour of Pooja mama.

Di mama and pikin first speak on video call and dem kon arrange meeting.

Her mama say she check for one birthmark wey only am know about her pikin and wen she see am she dey happi well well.

"All my doubts go immediately. I know say I don find my daughter," she tok.

Ms Devendra dey happi say she play a part for dis reunion.

"Everi mama gatz help pikin wey come to dem for help. We fit no be dia biological modas, but we still be modas,” she tok.

Afta di meeting, Pooja, few family members and Ms Devendra go to di police station to lodge complaint.

"I tell di police everytin. I even tell dem where my kidnappers live," she tok. Dis lead to di identification and arrest of di accused.

Milind Kurde, senior inspector at Mumbai's DN Nagar police station, tell BBC Marathi say cases don dey registered against di accused for kidnapping, issuing threats, physical violence and for flouting child labour laws.

Love conquer all

Pooja's return home don bring joy to di family and everyone wey know am.

Neighbours wey see her wen she dey little don dey visit am.

Meanwhile, her mama dey try to make up for di lost time with her daughter - cooking her favourite food and combing her hair.

Di two try to spend time togeda but life tough for dem at di moment.

Pooja papa wey be di sole breadwinner of di family die four months ago from cancer.

So, her mama take up im job of selling snacks for one railway station to provide for herself and her three pikin dem.

But di earnings dey small and she dey struggle to make ends meet.

“Now I also get legal expenses. If I miss a day work, we no go get money for food di next day, naso our condition be.”

Pooja still dey process her trauma. She get nightmares and feel sad say she no go ever see her papa again.

For her safety, she spend most of her time for house and her family member dey follow am if she wan komot.

"I want help my mama financially but I no dey allowed to. I also want study," she tok.

But despite dis problems, her mama say she dey happi.

"Work dey exhausting, but every time I see Pooja, I find my strength again. I just dey happi say she don come back,” she tok.