Jaipur: 53 laborers, including 13 women from the tribal community of Pratapgarh, Rajasthan, who were held hostage in the Solapur district of Maharashtra after being lured with the promise of good wages in Indore, were rescued by the Rajasthan police on Friday late at night.
They were promised a daily wage of Rs, 500, free food and lodging, but handed over to landlords in different locations. The landlords made them work in sugarcane fields and were allegedly beaten when they asked for their wages.
Superintendent of Police, Pratapgarh, B. Aditya said that special police teams were sent to Soalpur on a complaint lodged at the Ghantali police station by the family of a laborer who reported that laborers were being held hostage and forced to work in Jabud village of Solapur district, Maharashtra, about 950 kilometers away from Pratapgarh.
These laborers are from different villages of the Ghantali, Pipalkhoont, and Parsola areas of Pratapgarh and went to Sholapur about two months ago with the help of a local person.
"A broker named Khan from Alwar had taken an advance of 9.50 lakh rupees from the landlords in Maharashtra in exchange for these laborers. Meanwhile, Sitaram Patil, a middleman from Maharashtra, has also taken an advance payment of Rs 18 lakh. The accused had lured the victims with the promise of work in Indore but instead took them to Solapur in Maharashtra, SP, adding that a case has been registered against both the accused.
The rescued laborers presented before the media said, “Today, after two months, we finally feel relieved. The landlords made us work very hard. They didn't pay a single penny and would resort to violence at the slightest provocation. We were starving there, struggling for food.”
Tribal laborer Ramlal said that, fed up with the atrocities, some laborers escaped from there, and after reaching Pratapgarh, they informed the families of the other laborers, who lodged a complaint at the Ghantali police station.
The police team brought the laborers back to Pratapgarh by bus. From there, they were sent to their respective villages.
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