Hyderabad: In an early morning raid on Saturday, Hyderabad police rescued around 250 child labourers in the Aman Nagar area of old city.
The children were brought from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, reportedly, after paying Rs 20,000 to their parents.
Police said the children were being used for bangle-making and other hazardous works. They were exposed to chemicals and were forced to work for 14 hours in a day.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (South Zone), V. Satyanarayan said the children, mostly boys, are aged between 4-12 years and have been working here for last few months on a meagre wage of Rs 5,000 per month.
“The workshop owners paid a few thousand rupees as advance to their parents. After paying the money, children were brought to the city and were made to work in the factories,” DCP said.
Police was surprised to find that 30 children were crammed in one room. The rescued children were living in unhygienic condition and some even had untreated wounds. The owner did not provide them with clothing or bedding.
“The owners did not provide blankets or warm clothes to the kids. However, they have installed CCTV cameras to monitor their activities,” Satyanarayan said.
Police have arrested 4 people while many others are still absconding. Some illegal weapons have also been seized and search operation is still on.
At least 200 policemen were involved in the raids, which were carried out at multiple locations in Hyderabad.
Rescued children have been shifted to a nearby function hall and will be moved to a children’s home after interrogation.
To keep a check on anti-social elements and to induce a sense of security among people Cyberabad and Hyderabad Police have been conducting massive search operations in different parts of the city for the past several months based on information that few pockets have turned out to be shelters for criminals like property offenders, snatchers and those indulging in other illegal activities.
