The painful story of Najmun Bee, the ill-fated maid, reads like a story straight out of a tragic movie.
Najmun came to the Kingdom in 1998 and lost contact with her family soon afterward. Her visa and passport had expired a long time ago but she continued to stay with the Saudi family who had hired her even though they had not paid her for 16 years.
Her family had been trying to locate her since 2002, even airing her story in India.
Fortunately for Najmun, who hails from the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, a Sri Lankan lady working in Riyadh came to know about her plight.

Word has it that when the Sri Lankan maid returned to her country, she informed someone in Tamil Nadu about Najmun’s situation. The news spread and eventually reached her family.

With the information that her sister was in Riyadh, Najmun’s brother Nazeer, who is working in the national capital, intensified his search.

Later, Najmun's son Saleem, who was only 17 years old when his mother left for work abroad, came to the Kingdom to work as a family driver for a Saudi family in Riyadh in hopes of finding her. Nazeer and Saleem later approached the Indian Embassy to seek help in their search.

After affirming Najmun's location, Nazeer complained to the police and with the support of the Embassy and the police department, the employer was summoned to the Tuwaik Police Station in Riyadh.

“We are thankful to the Indian officials who have helped us trace my sister,” Nazeer said.
Najmun came to work as a maid on a monthly salary of SR400 but she was paid for only two months since February 1998, Nazeer said.
“ The employer has agreed to pay SR92,000 for the last 16 years and promised to bring SR10,000 on Wednesday while the remaining SR82,000 will be paid over the next two months,” Shihab Kottukad said.
During her time in the Kingdom, Najmun was unaware that her son Arif had died long ago and that all her daughters had gotten married. 
She was also surprised to find that her younger son Saleem, now a father of three, was in the Kingdom.
 Najmun is currently staying with her brother Nazeer to complete the process to return home.