Hyderabad: As many as ten minors–four girls and six boys–were rescued by city police from forced labor practices at a company based in Uppal.
These minors, bought from different states, were employed at Krishna Pharma Company, Uppal where they were packaging sanitizer bottles. They were employed for nine hours a day: from nine-thirty in the morning to six in the evening and were paid a paltry sum of Rs 200 per day’s work.
On further inquiry, it was discovered that regular laborers working for Krishna Pharma Company were unwilling to accept the informal wage of Rs 200 given to them. As a means of cost-cutting, the owner and accused Gambali Mallikarjuna Rao (60), managing partner of the company employed the children instead.
The accused was booked under Sections 370 and 374 of the Indian Penal Code and Section 79 of the Juvenile Justice Act along with Section 14 (1) of the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act.
Earlier, ten other minors (eight from Telangana and two from Bihar) were rescued from forced labor in Bike Mechanic shops, Fast food centers and Bakery shops in Maheshwaram town.
All the above rescue operations were a part of Operation Muskan-7 and took place within the limits of Rachakonda Commissionerate under the supervision of IPS Sri Mahesh Bhagwat by She Teams, Anti Human Trafficking Units, and other local police stations.