9 rescued minors were brought to Mumbai from Orissa

The Juvenile Aid and Protection Unit (JAPU) of the enforcement wing of Mumbai police on Tuesday night rescued nine minor boys from an imitation jewellery workshop in Kurar village in suburban Malad. The minors, aged 13 to 16 years, had allegedly been kidnapped from their native place in Orissa and brought to the city nearly two months ago. The children, who were subjected to physical abuse, were made to work for long hours in the jewellery unit. Four persons including the owner of the unit have been arrested.

JAPU officials said that Orissa police officials contacted the Yuva Childline via email about the missing children.

“The mail received on June 25 said that Orissa police received a tip-off about a gang of traffickers who had kidnapped the children. On the basis of that, we started investigating the case,” said a JAPU official.

Officials in Mumbai also learnt of a phone number allegedly belonging to one of the accused, which was then used to track him down in the city. “We tracked the number to a location in Malad and started a preliminary inquiry. We then laid a trap at the building under Slum Rehabilitation Scheme and arrested one person,” said an officer.

Apparently, neighbours were clueless about the goings-on in the house. “It was a small 8x8 house where all the children were lodged and made to work in inhuman conditions. They were not allowed to step out of the house and were given food only once a day. There were clear signs of the children being subjected to physical abuse,” he said.

Investigators revealed that recently, one of the boys had been able to procure a telephone left behind by the caretaker and call home and narrate his ordeal. This helped the Orissa police to find out where the boys were lodged. “The children had been allegedly brought to Kolkata first and, once there, sold to a middleman who brought them to Mumbai where they were made to work in the workshop,” said the officer.

Four persons: the owner of the workshop, the manager, and two caretakers have been arrested. “They have been booked for kidnapping and also under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and remanded to police custody. The Orissa police has reached Mumbai and once formalities are completed, the children will be handed over to them,” he said.