Officials from various departments on Tuesday rescued 40 children who were forced to work at a private spinning mill near Avinashi in Tiruppur district.
Based on a tip-off, officials from Childline, Department of Social Welfare, Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health, Tiruppur district police and Child Welfare Committee (CWC) visited the spinning mill at Alathur in Avinashi block on Tuesday.
Official sources who were part of the inspection said on Wednesday that the children were aged between 15 and 18 years. Preliminary investigations revealed that they were brought to the spinning mill from Tiruvannamalai, Tirupattur, Vellore and Krishnagiri districts, earlier in July, without e-passes.
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The 40 teenagers, comprising 37 girls and three boys, were made to stay at three homes in the district. Sources said that 33 girls were made to stay at a home in Palladam, four more girls at Thaneerpandal in Avinashi and the three boys at a home in Anupparpalayam. One of the police personnel from Cheyur police station, who was part of the inspection, said that the teenagers were “made to work against their will” in the mill and that they are likely to stay in the homes till August 1.
CWC chairperson for Tiruppur district M. Premalatha said that the district administration was collecting details of the children who were rescued and efforts to send them to their respective hometowns were under way. “Legal action will be taken against [the spinning mill],” she said.