This story is from September 6, 2019

61 child labourers rescued from jewellery making units in Chennai

Sixty one bonded child labourers were rescued from five jewellery making units on the Walltax Road in Chennai on Friday. The rescued children -- all boys -- hailed from West Bengal.
61 child labourers rescued from jewellery making units in Chennai
CHENNAI: Sixty one child labourers were rescued from five jewellery making units on the Walltax Road in Chennai on Friday. The rescued children -- all boys -- hailed from West Bengal.
Acting on a tip-off, police formed five teams and conducted surprise searches at five jewellery making units simultaneously. The International Justice Mission, an NGO working among bonded labourers, assisted police .

The searches that began at 11.30am went for nearly two hours, resulting in the rescue of 61 boys.
“Most of the rescued boys are aged below 14 years,” S Megalina, additional deputy commissioner of the crime against women and children unit, told TOI. Preliminary inquiries revealed that most of the families of rescued boys had taken advance from the owners of the units.
“Only after the RDO conducts an inquiry, it will be ascertained whether they are bonded child labourers or just child labourers. But there are elements (advance money and restriction of movement) of bonded labour in it," Megalina said.
Officials from the labourer department and the child welfare committee were inquiring with the rescued boys. “All of the boys have Aadhaar cards. We have to check to find out whether they are genuine or fake,” said the officer.
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