MOILA – A 33-year-old woman escaped dramatically from a notorious man, who had allegedly kidnapped her and held her for seven weeks as a sex slave in his hut at Moila village.

Insp Philip Morolo said the woman allegedly made her escape on Thursday night. He said the police were still looking for one of the most notorious jailbirds in the area in connection with the incident.

The man is alleged to have met the woman at the shopping centre at the end of February while she was looking for a job. He allegedly approached her and told her that he had a four-roomed house and he was looking for a domestic servant. He allegedly offered to take her to the house to see it.

Since she was in serious need of work, she allegedly agreed and left with him.

When she arrived at Moila, she was surprised and disappointed to realise that there was no four-roomed house as the man had described, but only a few huts. It was at this point that he allegedly threatened her with violence and took her into one of the huts. There he allegedly raped her, and after abusing her he refused to let her go to her home.

She told the Police that during the day he was always with her and always reminded her that if she misbehaved he would kill her. She further said that at night he locked his windowless hut and hid the keys so that she could not sneak out.

The woman's chance to escape came on Wednesday. A police vehicle allegedly arrived at the place in search of a man, who had allegedly taken another woman's clothes. On seeing the police vehicle approaching the alleged kidnapper panicked and ordered the woman to go with him outside to some bushes, where they would hide. While they were hurrying into the bushes, she escaped and ran in the opposite direction. The man was unable to stop her and fled from the scene.

The woman told the police that the man had sexually abused her everyday of her stay there. By the time of going to press the suspect was still on to run. The police have opened a case of kidnapping and rape against him.