16 May,2025 04:59 PM IST | Palghar | mid-day online correspondent
Deputy Superintendent of Police Dr Kunal Sonawane from Sangamner in Ahilyanagar district said three of the six accused persons have been arrested. Representational Pic
The authorities have successfully rescued sixty-nine bonded labourers, including minors, from the Ahilyanagar district of Maharashtra and apprehended three individuals for the exploitation of these victims, as stated by an official on Friday.
The victims, who were primarily engaged in stone cutting and labouring at sheep farms, were rescued on Thursday following a tip-off from activists, according to the official. They have since been repatriated to their villages in the Palghar district, reported PTI.
Bonded labourers refer to individuals compelled to work in order to repay a debt or obtain some form of financial assistance, frequently under exploitative or abusive conditions. The Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act prohibits this practice in India.
Sandeep Harmalkar, a labour officer from Ahilyanagar district, said they first raided a few sites and rescued 16 bonded labourers.
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"This initial rescue was part of a larger group totalling 69 individuals freed from their captors," Sandeep stated, reported PTI.
Deputy Superintendent of Police Dr Kunal Sonawane from Sangamner in Ahilyanagar district said three of the six accused persons have been arrested.
"Efforts are being made to track down and arrest the other three," Kunal Sonawane stated, reported news agency PTI.
According to the FIR, the accused engaged the bonded labourers and even children in arduous sheep farming and forced them to cut stones.
These children were subjected to physical and mental harassment and forced to work against their will, said the complaint.
The police on Thursday said that a 25-year-old woman and her brother were killed in the Palghar district after their two-wheeler collided with a trailer truck, reported news agency PTI.
The accident took place on Tuesday night and the truck driver was absconding, said an official of Palghar police station.
Mangesh Vishwakarma (22) and his sister Pooja Vishwakarma (25) set out on a motorbike to eat ice cream after dinner on Tuesday. While returning home by the Palghar-Mahim Road, a trailer coming from the opposite direction at high speed collided with their bike, the official said, reported PTI.
(With PTI inputs)
