HYDERABAD: As many as 180 minors, including girls, were rescued from 11 brick kilns in and around Choutuppal on the city outskirts on Tuesday. The Rachakonda police, continuing with last year’s Operation Smile, raided brick kilns and rescued the children working in the brick kilns.
Among the rescued children, 150 were aged between seven and 13 years, and 30 were aged between 13 to 18. On credible information, the Choutuppal police along with labour department officials, raided brick kilns located at Peddakondur village on Tuesday afternoon.
“Except 10 children, all the others were working along with their parents, who have migrated from Odisha. The 10 children were living with their relatives, who also work at the kilns and reside in huts located nearby,” said Choutuppal ACP Snehita. Police teams were collecting information from the rescued children about the middlemen, who employed them at the brick kilns, she said.
Meanwhile, the bricks kiln owners claimed that they shared the information about the children of the workers with the officials of the education department, but they did not take appropriate measures to send them to school.
As the children belonged to Odisha and know only Odia, the government could not arrange separate school in the village. Cases have been booked against the owners of brick kilns.