27 Bonded labourers rescued from Rayagada railway station

Rayagada: In a swift action, Government Railway Police (GRP) and Rayagada Police rescued as many as 27 bonded labourers including seven minors from Rayagada railway station on Saturday. As per sources all of them were rescued while they were being allegedly trafficked to Andhra Pradesh.

The labourers from Odisha were rescued from Bilaspur-Tirupati Express and they were supposed to be engaged at a brick kiln and other units in Andhra Pradesh, sources said.

"During patrolling, the joint team conducted a raid and rescued all the 27 people who had boarded the train. We have detained one woman and five middlemen on charges of trafficking," informed Suvendu Sabar, Inspector-In-Charge, GRP, Rayagada.

The rescued labourers hail from Muniguda and Chandrapur, added Sabar.

All the rescued labourers have been handed over to the labour department while further investigation in this connection is on, Police said.