The Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) along with the district administration and Karnataka police on Thursday arrested a brick kiln owner of Anekal town, 35 km from Bangalore downtown, for engaging nine tribal people from Odisha as bonded labourers in his kiln.
The joint team rescued the labourers and their two dependants belonging to three families of Balangir district and took them to the Attibele police station under Anekal taluk.
The rescue operation was carried out by the team on the basis of the information given by Bangalore-based NGO International Justice Mission (IJM).
IJM System Reform director Esther Daniel said the labourers were not allowed to return to their villages for festivals or funerals. All were paid below-minimum wage and forced to work on all seven days a week from 5 am to 7pm, he added.
“When we were allowed to go to the market or the hospital, the owner will send one of his men to watch us,” said one of the released labourers, adding, “The kiln owner didn’t give me permission to attend my grandfather’s funeral.”
Daniel said the rescued labourers would return to their villages and would be enrolled in IJM’s two-year rehabilitation programme.
Notably, the State Government’s labour Department has launched a toll-free helpline number 155368 for migrant workers to get help.