Labour trafficking racket busted; Rajasthan Police rescue 53 tribal workers from Maharashtra

Rajasthan’s Pratapgarh police rescued 53 tribal labourers from captivity in Maharashtra’s Solapur district after they were lured with false job promises, forced into unpaid labour and abuse. A case has been registered and further investigation is underway

Jaipur: The Pratapgarh District Police of Rajasthan successfully rescued 53 tribal labourers who were held captive in Solapur district, Maharashtra, after being lured with false promises of employment.

Under the direction of B Aditya, Superintendent of Police, Pratapgarh, and the guidance of Gajendra Singh Jodha, Additional Superintendent of Police, Pratapgarh, a police team led by Sub-Inspector Sohanlal of Ghantali Police Station rescued 53 labourers (13 women and 40 men) belonging to the tribal community in the district.

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On December 22, the Superintendent of Police, Pratapgarh, received information that men and women from villages Varda, Jamli, Maliya, Gothra, Umariya Pada, Bada Kali Ghati, Thesla, Kumari, and other villages falling under Ghantali, Pipalkhoont, and Parsola police station areas had been taken about two months earlier to Jabud village, under Akluj Police Station, Solapur district (Maharashtra).

They were lured with the help of a local person on the pretext of providing employment, police said on Saturday. The labourers contacted their families and revealed that brokers Sitaram Patil (Maharashtra) and Khan (Alwar, Rajasthan), along with a local associate, had conspired to lure around 100 labourers by promising Rs 500 per person per day, along with free food and accommodation in Indore, Madhya Pradesh.

Instead, the labourers were sent to work in sugarcane fields in Sholapur district. Broker Khan allegedly took an advance of Rs 9.50 lakh, while Sitaram Patil took Rs 18 lakh from landlords as labour wages and then abandoned the workers.

When the labourers demanded their wages, they were beaten, threatened, confined in houses and enclosures on the farms, and forced to work. Some labourers managed to escape and return home when opportunities arose. It has also emerged that the accused subjected women labourers to indecent behaviour. No wages were paid to any of the labourers.

Considering the humanitarian aspect and following the Rajasthan Police motto “Confidence among the public, fear among criminals” the Superintendent of Police immediately dispatched Sub-Inspector Sohanlal and his team to Maharashtra along with the families of the captive labourers.

With sustained effort and coordination, the police team successfully rescued all 53 labourers from various locations. As the rescued labourers had no money for food, travel, or basic needs, arrangements for return travel and other facilities were made with the support of public representatives and local citizens. All labourers were safely brought back to Pratapgarh and will be dropped at their respective villages. A case has been registered at Ghantali Police Station against the accused persons involved in the conspiracy, and further legal action is underway.