At least 19 children, allegedly held captive and forced to work in imitation jewellery production, were rescued from Gujarat's Rajkot.
The Rajkot City Police and the Special Operations Group (SOG), along with the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit, rescued the children, all believed to be from West Bengal, from a house in a residency near Bedichowk.
According to officials, the children were found in distressing conditions and have been immediately sent for medical check-ups.
Initial examinations have reportedly revealed injury marks on their hands and backs, suggesting physical abuse.
Authorities are investigating whether the children were subjected to coercion and violence.
Preliminary investigation reveals that these children had been brought to Rajkot over the past two years by a contractor, who employed them for manual labour in violation of child protection laws.
The residence from which they were rescued is owned by a man identified as Babu Bala.
Investigators are probing whether a rental agreement was in place. If not, further legal action for violating tenancy laws and aiding trafficking may be initiated.
The authorities suspect this to be part of a larger child trafficking and bonded labour network operating in Gujarat, with Rajkot emerging as a troubling hotspot. This is not the first such case in Rajkot.
In April, a similar raid in Jetpur had resulted in the rescue of 31 child labourers from two saree factories. Those children had been trafficked from states like Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Gujarat.
In that incident, too, police acted on a tip-off from an NGO and found the children working in hazardous conditions.
Meanwhile, in July 2024, Ahmedabad Police rescued 29 children forced into begging by trafficking networks linked to Rajasthan.
The operation targeted 18 hotspots in the city known for child exploitation.
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