Koraput: A total of 21 minors, including 17 girls, were rescued while being trafficked for manual work and three middlemen arrested in Semiliguda area of Odisha’s Koraput district.
According to sources, the children were spotted during vehicle checking by a team from Semiliguda police station while they were waiting for a bus at Damanjodi Chowk.
The children were rescued and handed over to the Child Welfare Committee. As per reports, the children were picked up from Narayanpatana, Kakarigumma and Damanjodi for manual paddy harvesting. They were reportedly lured by the middlemen to work for Rs 500 per day.
After getting information about the children waiting at the bus stand, police swung into action and reached the spot before they could leave. The three middlemen who were transporting the children were apprehended. They will be forwarded to court shortly.
