24 ‘Bonded Labourers’ Rescued From Kantabanji Railway Station In Odisha; 2 Middlemen Held

Balangir: A total of 24 bonded labourers, including nine women and five children, were rescued by police at Kantabanji railway station in Odisha’s Balangir district. They were allegedly being trafficked to Hyderabad when police rescued them.

According to sources, the rescued labourers are the residents of Lathore area of Balangir district and Godbhaga area of Bargarh.

Acting on a tip-off about human trafficking, Kantabanji Police along with the GRP carried out raid at the railway station and rescued the labourers. Two middlemen, locally called ‘Dalal’, have also been taken into custody in this connection.

The labourers were allegedly being taken to other states by the middle-men to engage them bonded labourers.

The police took the labourers to the Kantabanji police station for further investigation and arrested the middlemen on charges of human trafficking and under the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976.

Arrangements were made by the local administration and police to send the rescued labourers to their respective villages.