The Rachakonda police apprehended three persons for allegedly trafficking 11 minor children and forcing them to work in unhygienic conditions and for up to 14 hours a day.
The accused have been identified as Ramlal (40), who runs Mahesh Gypsum Plaster Company, and Pankaj Kumar (31) and E Jagan Mohan Reddy (43). The duo run another company Sri Pavan Putra Plaster Company. Both companies are in Hayatnagar mandal and are engaged in making plaster of Paris used in ceilings for aesthetic purposes.
Police said that the accused brought the victims from Uttar Pradesh after paying their poverty-stricken parents some money. The accused wanted workers who would work for 14 hours. However, as local labourers refused to do so, they exploited the children.
Police said that the victims were put to work from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. non-stop and in inhuman conditions. While Ramlal brought seven victims, the other two brought four children to work in the workshops.
