Malkangiri: Childline officials Wednesday rescued 16 minors including 14 girls while they were being trafficked to other states to work as bonded labourer.
All the minors including two kids were residents of Sangel village under Poteru police limits in this district, district child welfare committee chairperson Sanjukta Pradhan said.
Acting on information, Childline member A Misile Raju and his associates searched a passenger bus at Kalimela bus stand and rescued the minors. They were handed over to the child welfare committee members.
A person named Karami Jaga was trafficking these minors to Rayagada, said chairperson Pradhan. They would have been engaged in plucking of green chilly, it was learnt.
The family members of the minors would be called to the office and action would be taken against those involved in the illegal act, said the committee members.
On the other hand, the rescued minors said they have not studied anything even as there is a school in the village. The minors have not been injected MR vaccines also, it was learnt.
When contacted, the district education officer-in-charge said an investigation would be launched to find out the reasons to know why so many minors remained deprived of getting education and immunization. Action would be taken against the people responsible for it, the officer added. PNN
