Child labourers rescued from metal works unit in Maharashtra's Thane, three held

The police arrested three supervisors for asking the minors to do the hazardous work.

The police have rescued three minors who were working in a metal works unit in Maharashtra's Thane district and arrested as many people for employing child labourers, an official said on Saturday.

The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Act prohibits the employment of children below the age of 14 years in 18 occupations and 65 processes.

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Senior inspector Samir Ahirrao of the anti-human trafficking cell of the Mira-Bhayandar, Vasai-Virar police, said the minors were rescued after a raid at the factory in Kashimira on the outskirts of Mumbai on Friday.

When the police reached the unit, they found the children putting metal bars in acid before cutting them with an electric cutter and shifting the pieces with the help of cranes for loading, the official said.

Apart from rescuing the children, the police also arrested three company supervisors for asking the minors to do the hazardous work, he said.

A case has been registered against the arrested supervisors and two labour contractors under the Indian Penal Code, the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Act and the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, he said.