(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Most of the children were brought from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar by the workshop owners who paid their parents Rs20000 as advance.
Hyderabad - The Hyderabad Police rescued around 250 children most of them aged between four and 12 years and kept as bonded labour from bangle-making shops in Aman Nagar area in the Old City on Saturday.
The police who have been conducting surprise raids in several areas of the city to flush out anti-social elements in the past few months were shocked when they found the children living and working under pathetic conditions. Most of the children were brought from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar by the workshop owners who paid their parents Rs20000 as advance.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (South Zone) V Satyanarayan who led the raids early on Saturday told the media that these children were employed in bangle-making and other hazardous works. They were exposed to chemicals and were forced to work for 14 hours a day for a paltry wage of Rs5000 per month.
“The workshop owners paid a few thousand rupees as advance to their parents. After paying the money the children were brought to the city and were made to work in the factories” he said adding “We found many children kept as bonded labor.”
During the raid the cops were shocked at finding 30 children crammed in one room. The rescued children were living in unhygienic condition and some even had untreated wounds. The owners did not provide them with clothing or bedding. “The owners did not even provide blankets or warm clothes to the kids. On the other hand they have installed CCTV cameras to monitor their activities” Satyanarayan said.
Police have arrested four persons while many others are still absconding. Some illegal weapons have also been seized and search operations are still on.
At least 200 policemen were involved in the raids which were carried out at multiple locations in Hyderabad. — newskhaleejtimes.com
For more news from Khaleej Times follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes and on Twitter at khaleejtimes
Follow khaleejtimes ->
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.