Bhubaneswar: Odisha Police rescued 49 bonded labourers while they were being trafficked from two separate places in Balangir district on Thursday.
According to sources, 16 women and 19 children were also among those rescued by a joint team of Kantabanji and Belpada police. All of them were residents of Tureikela, Belpada, and Patnagarh.
The cops detained two persons including Sardar Suraj Bagh for further questioning in connection with the incident. Investigation is in progress to ascertain involvement of others in the racket.
Of the 49 labourers, 27 including 11 women, four men, and 12 children were rescued by Kantabanji Police from Beherensilet village while being driven to Hyderabad by offering them work. The rest were rescued by a police team from Belpada.