It was a mix of courage and presence of mind that helped 17-year-old S. Thangadurai (name changed) escape from the clutches of bondage after enduring an ordeal for about three years. The teenager, who had suffered at the hands of his employer, who subjected the boy as well as other children to torture, and forced them to work from the crack of dawn till late at night at a snack-making unit in Basavakalyan near the Karnataka-Maharashtra border, finally escaped, along with a fellow labourer, and reached Chennai on Friday.
A native of Thiruthangal in Virudhunagar district, Thangadurai, along with his elder brother, was taken to Karnataka by a broker, who had promised them that they would be paid ₹50,000 annually for their work. However, when they reached Basavakalyan, it was a different story.
The boys were made to work from 4.30 a.m. to 11 p.m. every day, and they were not paid by their employer, according to the First Information Report (FIR) registered by the police. The elder sibling escaped the unit in 2014 after he was hit by a steel pipe for “taking rest.”
However, the exploitation continued for Thangadurai, who was beaten up with a hot iron rod for “not waking up early” to work, and was warned against any attempt to escape. But, on November 7, when he was hit again and sustained injuries to his head, Thangadurai decided to take the risk. He, along with another worker, 31-year-old Perumalsamy of Othakadai in Madurai district, escaped the unit and reached Gulbarga — an 85 km journey, which they covered partially on foot and then hitched a ride on a lorry. From there, the duo reached Chennai by train on Friday.
“An FIR has been registered under Sections 370 (4) and 374 of the Indian Penal Code. During initial investigation, it was clear that they escaped the unit. We will produce the boy before the Child Welfare Committee,” an officer of the Railway Protecttion Force said.
