CHENNAI: Twenty-nine children employed in a bag manufacturing unit in Mannady were rescued by a team of Labour Department and Child Welfare Committee (CWC) on Thursday.
Following a tip-off, the team led by an additional commissioner and joint commissioner of labour, revenue divisional officer (RDO) and tahsildar raided the place. “The children were covered with sponge bundles. The team searched thoroughly and secured 29 children aged between 8 to 16 years,” said an official.
A preliminary inquiry revealed that most of them never had been to school. They all belong to Bihar and one is from Nepal. They were made to work for more than 15 hours a day in inhumane working conditions and were paid a meagre wage of Rs 100-Rs 300 per week, said sources.
Police said, “We are booking the owner of the unit, who is also from Bihar. Further course of action will be taken after interrogation,” said police. The children are lodged in homes.