Police have rescued six child labourers forced to work in a bangle manufacturing unit. (Express photo by Ravi Kanojia/ Representational)THE POLICE have rescued six child labourers forced to work in a bangle manufacturing unit in Goregaon last week, after one of them managed to call his family in Rajasthan.
The police said the incident came to light when a 15-year-old boy, who hails from Jaipur, managed to call his father on November 24. The boy had been allegedly forcibly taken away from his home two months ago by Nanku Kumar, the co-owner of Sonali Bangles, which manufactures jewellery, an officer said.
Assistant Commissioner of Police (Social Service Branch) R B Mane said: “The boy’s father contacted NGO Childline India in Jaipur with a plea to rescue his son. Childline then sent an email to its counterparts in Mumbai.” The email contained details of the location of the premises and five other boys — aged between 15 and 17 years — hailing from Bihar, who were also being made to work as child labourers.
On December 12, the Juvenile Aid and Protection Unit of the SSB and the members of Childline raided the premises in Dindoshi. Inside, they found six boys making bangles in a room 15 feet wide, the police said.
The unit owners, Jitendra Chaudhari and Kumar, have been booked under the Juvenile Justice Act. “They had trafficked boys from Bihar and Rajasthan and forced them to work under stressful conditions while profiting from their output,” said a police officer.
