: Twenty two minor boys from Bihar, who were being used as child labourers in Berhampur, were rescued on Thursday.
Their rescue exposed a racket of trafficking of children from Bihar who were sent to work as child labourers in Odisha.
Two youths from Bihar, Prakash Sahni and Aghanu Sahni, who had allegedly brought these rescued children to Berhampur to employ them in different places, were also rounded up.
All the rescued children were between the ages of eight and twelve years.
They were rescued during a joint operation of Ganjam district Child Protection Committee, labour department, police and Childline from different areas of the city.
Speaking to The Hindu , Sudhir Sabat of Childline said all the rescued children were from different villages of Darbhanga district of Bihar. “As per our information, Prakash and Aghanu had allegedly brought around 100 children from Bihar to employ them as child labourers in Berhampur,” he added. Search is on to trace other children.
These children from Bihar were being employed in eateries, golgappa kiosks and sugarcane juice units.
The employers were employing them for meagre payments which were also being pocketed by the two middlemen.
It is not known what these middlemen were paying to the parents of these children.
