Kantabanji: As many as 14 persons including two children were rescued by a team of police personnel from Kantabanji railway station in Bolangir district while they were being trafficked to work as bonded labourers late Thursday night.
All the bonded labourers are from Kantabanji area and were being trafficked to far away north-east state of Tripura. A source said that there were four men, eight women and two children in the group of bonded labourers.
They were about to be taken from the railway station via Link Express train at around 11.00pm.
Kantabanji police got information from a reliable source during night patrolling that the bonded labourers were moving towards the railway station. Swinging into action, police conducted a raid and detained them when they had reached close to it, the source informed.
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“As per norms of the Labour department, registration is mandatory for bonded labourers prior to their migration. However, the 14 rescued persons could not produce any valid document,” an official said.
During interrogation, it was ascertained that they were illegally being transported. All of them have been detained at the police station for detailed probe which is underway, the senior official stated.
The rescued labourers belong to Bada Bichilibahal and Jogimunda under Lathor and Patnagarh police limits, respectively. Middleman who engaged them for work fled the spot, the official added.
PNN