21 kids rescued from Mumbai hotels, leather units

Officers of the labour department and Worli police rescued 21 children made to work illegally in hotels and leather manufacturing units on Saturday.

According to the police, the children were brought into the city from other states under the pretext of giving them an education in Mumbai but were then forced to work. Twelve children were rescued from leather manufacturing units, others were employed in hotels.

According to the police, the raid was conducted in Jijamata Nagar in Worli. The children who were rescued came from Rajasthan, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand and their parents were promised that the children would be sent to schools in the city. However, the children were forced to work in leather manufacturing units and as cheap labour in hotels. They were forced to out in 16-18 hours of work each day and paid less than minimum wages,” said an officer.

The counsellor who spoke to the children found that, nine of them were from UP, eight from Bihar, two from Rajasthan and the other two from Jharkhand. “The children who were rescued are scared and in shock. They were paid minimum salaries by their employers. They will be sent to the children home in Dongri,” said an officer.

Thirteen people including employers and hotel managers have been arrested and a case has been filed against them under relevant sections of Child Labour Act and Indian Penal Code, the police said. Worli police are investigating further.