Bolangir: Twenty one migrant labourers who were allegedly being trafficked from Bolangir district to Andhra Pradesh were rescued from the Kantabanji railway station in the wee hours of Friday. They were waiting for a train when police rescued them. Among the labourers, four were women.
The efforts of Bolangir police and Kantabanji block administration paid off and the labourers were saved in the nick of time. Acting on a tip-off, the team reached the railway station to rescue the workers. The agent who was taking them to an unknown destination in Andhra Pradesh has been detained by the police. A majority of the villagers belonged to Siluana village of Kantabanji block.
The labourers said they were in need of jobs and hence they were travelling to the neighbouring state. “The state government had promised us jobs when we returned home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since that did not happen we are being forced to look for work elsewhere to sustain ourselves,” some of the workers said. “With no source of income here, we are struggling to make both ends meet. So we are forced to move to other states in search of work,” said a migrant worker.
Earlier November 14, 56 migrant labourers including 23 women and eight children were rescued from Kantabanji station while they were being trafficked to Hyderabad.
PNN
