ROURKELA: As many as nine migrant workers along with five children were rescued from brick kilns in Uttar Pradesh and brought back to Rourkela by local police on Thursday night.
A group of migrant workers of Rourkela were sent to Uttar Pradesh recently by a labour Sardar Bablu Singh to work in brick kilns. The group included four women with their five children.
However, one of the labourers escaped and reached Rourkela on February 5. He informed locals that few other migrant workers were held captive and tortured. Subsequently, few BJD activists brought it to the notice of the State Government which took up the rescue work under its ‘Mo Parivar’ scheme.
DSP PK Mishra said a case was registered at Plant Site police station on February 9. A police team went to Uttar Pradesh on February 12 and rescued three workers from Tarwa in Azamgarh district.
The remaining workers were rescued from other brick kilns with the help of Uttar Pradesh police. Outstanding dues of the labourers were also recovered.
The accused labour agent Singh managed to escape and a requisition was given to the local police to arrest him. Plant Site police station IIC AK Pradhan informed that a total of 14 persons including five children were rescued and sent home after medical examination.
Labour sardars arrested
Bhawanipatna: Two labour sardars were arrested by Kegaon police in Kalahandi district for trafficking labourers on Friday. On a tip off, police rescued seven labourers of Chahaka village near Kegaon while they were being taken to some place for work by the labour sardars, Lambodar Tiwari of Sindhekella village in Balangir district and Debasis Panda of Kegaon. The agents had assured them of good wages and other facilities at the work place.