Hyderabad: Seventy one persons who were employed as daily wage labourers, including 50 minors from different states, at a spinning mill in Choutuppal were rescued by Rachakonda police on Saturday.
Police found the adults were forced to work as bonded labourers at the mill. The HR manager of the mill and 11 others were arrested. The owner of the mill is absconding.
Teams from the Choutuppal police station raided the Sri Ramagiri Spinning Mill located on the outskirts of Mahmadabad mandal and found people employed at the mill against labour laws.
“Of the 50 minors, 39 are boys. They were trafficked from Odisha, Chattisgarh and Bihar,” Choutuppal ACP M. Snehitha said. The owner and those in charge were booked under IPC, Juvenile Justice Act, Child Labour Act and the Abolition of Bonded Labour Act.
On Saturday morning the HR manager of the mills S. Galaiah surrendered before the police and based on his confession, police arrested 11 others. They are production manager C. Vinkatakrishna Raju, labour agents Fagua Behra, Santaray, Sadanand Das and Chandan Kumar Behara, labour contractor Tekula Damodar Reddy, supervisor Karantoth Hari and assistant supervisors Chenna Keshavulu, Shaik Masthan, P. Thirupathaiah and P. Krishna.
Police said the chairman of the mill is one Ramachandra Rao and one Biksham is his partner. The other important figures are agents Briz Sahani and Bhanu Prakash. Police has set up teams to nab them.
