17 children rescued from bangle unit in Hyderabad

The Cyberabad Operation Smile-VII Team and Child Line officials raided the Samad Bangles company in Roshan Colony of Vattepally and rescued 17 children who were allegedly engaged in manufacturing bangles on Monday. The police said that children were kept in locked rooms and made to work on bangles.

“They were not provided sufficient food and clothes due to which their health was getting affected. On enquiry, it was revealed the wages they were paid were also very less and not regular. Also, their working hours were long without any breaks. All the minors were brought from Bihar,” officials said.

According to the police, the children were made to work from dawn to dusk for more than 12 hours, without any break and were made to live in unhygienic



conditions. “They were not provided any holidays and most of them were suffering from malnutrition, stunted growth and other health issues. 

These children were covered with fine dust from head to toe,” the official said, adding that a case was registered under the Indian Penal Code, Juvenile Justice Act and sections of the Child Labour Act at Mailardevpally police station. The children were sent to a shelter home after being produced before the Child Welfare Committee, Ranga Reddy.

The Cyberabad Police has launched a dedicated WhatsApp number 7901115474 for reporting on child labour. They urged citizens to report on child labour incidents on the number or Dial-100 or e-mail to smileteamcyb@gmail.com.