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Bonded Labor Racket Busted: 5 Arrested for Trafficking Thousands to Brick Kilns
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News18•25-09-2026, 20:15
Bonded Labor Racket Busted: 5 Arrested for Trafficking Thousands to Brick Kilns
- •Police in Mahasamund district, Chhattisgarh, busted a racket supplying thousands of bonded laborers to brick kilns across various states annually, operating along the state's Odisha border.
- •Five individuals, including two from Odisha, were arrested; the racket was uncovered during an investigation into the exploitation of a 15-year-old girl.
- •Seized records indicate each trafficker sent 2,000-5,000 laborers yearly to unregistered brick kilns without proper documentation, forcing them into bonded labor for up to six months.
- •The investigation began after a 15-year-old girl, sent to a brick kiln in Uttar Pradesh by the traffickers, was found pregnant and reported harsh working conditions and sexual exploitation.
- •Police seized Rs 1.48 crore in cash, registers, diaries, mobile phones, bank documents, and a currency-counting machine during raids in Chhattisgarh and Odisha, registering a case under human trafficking and organized crime sections.
Key Questions Answered
The investigation began after government hospital officials informed police on September 21 that a 15-year-old girl from the Khallari police station area in Mahasamund district was found pregnant.
Police arrested five individuals, including Mukesh Chandrakar and Naseem Bano alias Lata Sabar from Odisha's Nuapada district, alongside Manish Gupta, Nandkumar Mohanty, and Piyush Agrawal from Mahasamund.
During raids across 10 locations, police seized Rs 1.48 crore in cash, registers and diaries detailing labour migration, mobile phones, bank passbooks, cheque books, ATM cards, and a currency-counting machine.
