Hyderabad: In a major crackdown in the old city of Hyderabad, police rescued as many as 220 child labourers from bangle-making units. The children in the age group of 12 to 16 years, including girls, were brought from Bihar to work in hazardous and inhuman condition for a pittance.
A posse of 300 policemen led by the Deputy Commissioner of Police, South Zone, V Satyanarayana carried out a cordon and search operation, rescued the children and arrested at least 15 people including the middle men who had brought the children from different places in Bihar.
As many as 150 children were rescued from a three-storied building of Yaseen Pehelwan, 20 from the house of Saleem and 15 from premises of Khaja.
“The children were kept in small dingy room where the smell of chemicals pervaded the air. Their employers used to watch them through CCTV. The children were subjected to beatings and physical torture if their work was not satisfactory”, said Satyanrayana.
Police said that a nexus of middle men and factory owners was at work to bring the children and use them as labourers. The wages were paid to the middlemen and children never knew their employers directly.
The children were being used in hazardous plants like bangle manufacturing and leather units. Khalid, one of the victims said, “We were living the life of prisoners as we were never allowed to go out as they feared we will raise an alarm. We were just given food and cloths and paid a paltry money of Rs1,500 (Dh71) to be sent home”.
Another victim said that they were forced to work from 8 in the morning till midnight. “Beating and torture was regular”, the 13 year old boy said.
