Officials from the Childline and other departments rescued 10 girls and five women from a private spinning mill at Thekkalur near Avinashi in Tiruppur district on Monday.

Childline sources said on Tuesday that the 10 girls were teenagers. All 15 were allegedly forced to work against their will.

Based on a call to the Childline’s helpline ‘1098’ by one of the minors in the spinning mill on Monday afternoon, officials from Childline, Revenue Department, Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health and Avinashi police visited the mill. Around six minors were found locked inside a room in the mill, sources said.

The workers complained to the officials of alleged physical and verbal abuse by the staff members of the mill.

The rescued workers underwent medical tests and no external injuries were found. They were also screened for COVID-19 symptoms. Upon completing the tests, the 10 girls were sent to a home at Karuvalur and the five women were sent to a home at Thaneerpandal in Avinashi Block, according to the officials.

Preliminary inquiries revealed that the rescued workers were from Tiruvannamalai, Tirupattur, Dharmapuri, Cuddalore and Tirunelveli districts. While some of them were brought to the mill last month, others were working in the mill for nearly a year. The spinning mill allegedly transported them using industrial e-pass, while the workers themselves did not possess any e-passes, sources said.

Avinashi Thasildar G. Santhi told The Hindu on Tuesday that the Revenue Department was verifying the particulars of the rescued workers using their Aadhaar cards. Investigations by the Revenue Department and Child Welfare Committee are on regarding the alleged violations, she said.

Avinashi police said that a case would be registered against the private spinning mill once an official lodges a complaint.

Children in distress may contact Childline’s 24-hour toll-free helpline 1098 for assistance.