Police rescue 54 child labourers, arrest 7 for trafficking

Hyderabad: Balapur police on Tuesday rescued 54 child labourers and arrested seven accused who were involved in child trafficking.

The accused identified as Mohammed Aslam (50), Shaik Mohammed Riyaz (30), Mohammad Ahshan (22), Shaik Habeeb (66), Mohammad Musleem (36), Mohammed Asgar (18) and Mohammed Naseem Akram (22) and the other four absconding accused Feroz Alam, Anwarul, Munawar and Intikhab had brought the children from Bihar to Hyderabad for doing labour work in a bangle manufacturing factory.

They paid some money to their parents and brought the children to work as bonded labourers by detaining them in a house.

According to the Rachakonda Police Commissioner Mahesh M Bhagwat, the accused use the children in bangle manufacturing factories located in Habeeb Nagar, Osman Nagar and Saif Colony areas by taking houses on rent which were provided by Mohammed Riyaz, Mohammad Ahshan, Shaik Habeeb, Mohammad Musleem, Mohammed Asgar, and Mohammed Naseem Akram and also looking after the work.

The children were employed in five different manufacturing units and they were forced to work continuously since morning 6 am to 11 pm in the night without giving rest by detaining in the houses and not allowing them to move freely or go outside of the house.

They were provided food which was stinking in a very bad odour and not providing proper accommodation and other required amenities to them. All the children were kept in a congested room and were treated as bonded labourers by the accused.

On reliable information, Balapur police nabbed the seven accused at Falaknuma railway station and brought them to the police station.

On interrogation the accused confessed to their offence on which police registered a case under sections 370(2), 374 IPC and Section 79 Juvenile Justice Act-2015 and Section 14 (i) of Child Labour Act-1986 and been produced before V Additional Metropolitan Magistrate cum V Additional Junior Civil Judge at LB Nagar for judicial remand.