Seven child labourers rescued; 3 arrested

PUNE: Seven child labourers were rescued on Friday during a joint operation carried out by the city police, the office of labour commissioner and Childline – the Union government supported 24-hour helpline for children in distress. The police have arrested three persons.
The children are in the 7 to 12 years age group and were daily wage workers in a shed in Kondhwa area.
The Kondhwa police have identified the suspects as Alim Barchi Khan alias Lala Khan (31), Vijaypal Chandrabhan Yadav (20) and Minku Dharmapal Yadav (26), all residents of Tilekarnagar, Kondhwa. The trio has been charged under various sections of the Child Labour Prohibition and Regulation act 1986.
A team of police personnel and labour department officials raided the shed after it was found that the children were involved in the work of removing metal strips from cable wires and setting plastic and aluminium moulds. The work place had no safety measures in place as the children were working next to a fire place. The work done by the children was hazardous, police said.
Police said that the children were paid anything between Rs 50 and Rs 2,500 every month and they had to work for six to eight hours every day. The police took the help of Childline and other organizations working against child labour.
Police are investigating the case further and checking whether the people who owned the shed had the required permits and licences.