Married young after her father’s death, the woman’s life took a turn when she was arrested on February 2, 2018, relating to the alleged kidnapping of a child. (Representational image generated using AI)A Jamtara woman, then in her early 20s, was arrested in an alleged child kidnapping case in 2018. Sentenced to two years in prison, she was supposed to walk out free in 2020.Instead, she ended up becoming the first and, for a while, the only detainee at the Foreigners’ Holding Centre in Hazaribag – over 190 kilometres from her hometown.Police accused her of being a Bangladeshi national and, for the next several years, she remained at the centre inside the Hazaribag prison.In June 2025, the woman, after allegedly being sexually assaulted multiple times by a constable, escaped from the centre with two other detainees.On July 20 this year, an Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Court convicted her of escaping from custody but acquitted her of the charge under the Foreigners Act.However, on completion of her sentence, instead of being released from the prison, she was sent back to the detention centre.On October 1, the Jharkhand High Court asked a question that has followed the woman since she completed her first sentence in 2020: under what law is she still being detained?Story continues below this adA division bench of Justices Sujit Narayan Prasad and Akhil Kumar questioned “under what authority of law” the woman was continuing to be kept at the detention centre after the completion of her sentence.Hazaribag SP told the HC that an inquiry would be initiated into the matter.According to social worker and lawyer Apurva Vivek, who filed a habeas corpus petition on the 30-year-old’s behalf in the HC, the woman told her that she had been sexually assaulted multiple times by a police constable. The ordeal had caused her severe mental distress and was part of the circumstances behind her decision to escape.Ordeal began in 2018Married young after her father’s death, the woman’s life took a turn when she was arrested on February 2, 2018, relating to the alleged kidnapping of a child. The same year, in December, she was convicted under Section 363 of the IPC and sentenced to two years’ rigorous imprisonment, with the period already spent in custody set off against the sentence.Story continues below this adOn February 4, 2020, the woman completed the sentence. But instead of being released, she was shifted to the foreigners’ holding centre at the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Central Jail (also known as JP Central Jail) campus in Hazaribag.It was there that authorities began treating her as a Bangladeshi national.For several years, the woman remained at the holding centre. According to the chronology placed before the HC, she was initially the only detainee there.In November 2024, another woman, Nina Akter alias Khushi, was brought to the centre. On June 10, 2025, the duo along with another detainee escaped. They were apprehended the following day at Dhanbad railway station.Story continues below this adA fresh case was registered at Lohsinghna police station in connection with the escape.It is at this point that Vivek noticed something odd.Instead of the woman’s real name, she was registered in case records as someone from the minority community. Her father’s name was also found to be different that what it is in her original records.The case subsequently came before the Hazaribag court. The prosecution accused the three women of escaping from the foreigners’ holding camp and invoked Section 14 of the Foreigners Act.Story continues below this adOn July 20, the trial court stated that the prosecution had proved the charge relating to escape from custody and convicted all three accused under Section 262 read with Section 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).But the Foreigners Act charge did not stand, and the court acquitted the Jamtara woman.The judgment recorded several gaps, including “the absence of authenticated cross-border records, original travel documents or validated nationality verification material establishing their foreign status.”The investigating officer also admitted that documents including an Aadhaar card and SIM allegedly connected to the woman had not been verified with the issuing authorities. The court, therefore, while convicting her of the escape, acquitted her of the Foreigners Act offence.Story continues below this adALSO READ | How a Haryana accent helped police trace an extortion trail to MalaysiaIn its October 1 judgment, the court made a broader observation on personal liberty: “We are living in the era of Article 21 of the Constitution of India and the inherent liberty conferred upon a human being cannot be taken away without any authority of law.”The court directed the Hazaribag District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) to record the woman’s statement. It also sought an inquiry by the Hazaribag Superintendent of Police (SP) into the allegation against the constable and directed the Inspector General of Prisons to participate in the proceedings.The SP told the court that a thorough inquiry into the allegation would be initiated. The Home Secretary of Jharkhand has been directed to appear before the court on October 5. Reports from the DLSA and the SP have also been sought.SP, Hazaribag, could not be contacted for comment despite attempts.Shubham Tigga is a Correspondent at The Indian Express, presently based in Pune, where he covers the intersections of infrastructure, labor, and the modern economy. His reporting focuses on civil aviation, urban mobility, the gig economy, and workers' unions, providing critical insights into how transit and commercial sectors impact the daily lives of citizens. Expertise & Background Before moving to Pune, he reported extensively from his home state of Chhattisgarh, where he focused on Indigenous (Adivasi) issues, environmental justice, and grassroots struggles in mainland India. This experience gives him a unique lens through which he analyzes the impact of large-scale infrastructure projects on local communities. Academic Foundation He is an alumnus of the prestigious Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), where he honed his skills in investigative reporting and ethical journalism. His academic training, combined with his field experience in Central India, allows him to navigate complex socio-economic landscapes with nuance and accuracy. You can reach out to him on LinkedIn ... Read More Tags:Jharkhand