A Russian woman Elena Narkhova, one of the favourite students of celebrated Italian hair stylist Saverio Palma, has been robbed of her belongings in Delhi by goons, in connivance with corrupt Delhi policemen, and has taken shelter with a Kashmiri friend in Mumbai, reports Mid Day.
"I thought India was a fairytale land as it is projected in Russia. I have watched Raj Kapoor movies and other Bollywood movies with their beautiful song and dance sequences. But it became a nightmare after I was cheated repeatedly here. Overnight, I was robbed of all my cash and jewellery by my husband Prabhjot Singh, who dumped me and ran away. I was thrown out of my apartment despite paying my rent on time," rued Elena.
"All my certificates have been stolen and thus, nobody knows how skilled I am as a hairstylist. Nobody knows that I was Salverio Palma's favourite student. Everybody in Delhi, including the Delhi Police, tried to sexually exploit me. I must say that the Mumbai Police is so much better," she added.
Elena's visa expired but she has managed to extend her visa through the Russian Embassy in Mumbai. She has also found a guardian angel in Mohammed Altaf Bhatt, a Kashmiri from Mauritius, who was also cheated in Delhi and had to flee the city.
"I was running a small business in Delhi, when a Russian national requested me to help Elena, who was feeling suicidal after being cheated and dumped. I helped her setup a small beauty parlour but goons closed it down because we could not bribe them. The police too sided with them," said Bhatt.
"After they threatened to implicate me in false cases, we ran away from Delhi and came to Mumbai to find work here. I had my own business but now I have nothing. My ATM card got stolen in Mumbai. Besides, people here seem to think that all Kashmiris are gun-toting terrorists," Bhatt added.
"We don't want to do anything bad to mess up our life further. We just want to find work to survive in this city. I am afraid that somebody will exploit her. Elena would love to earn enough and then leave India safe and sound. Until then, I have to be with her," said Bhatt.
