The police personnel in Tiruvarur district of Tamil Nadu have launched a full-fledged search operation for two teenage girls who were allegedly pushed into bonded labour by their grandmother. The girls went missing on November 20 from their homes in Puravasam and are believed to have been given away by the family in exchange for an amount of Rs 20,000.
The two girls — aged 13 and 14 — used to live with their parents and grandmother. While their father is a daily wage worker, the mother reportedly suffers from mental health issues. Owing to their poverty and inability to manage household expenses, the grandmother, Vijayalakshmi, allegedly sent the two girls off with a broker who offered Rs 10,000 per girl. The family was told that the girls will be put to work, but no specific information was provided.
Tiruvarur Superintendent of Police (SP) M Durai told TNM, “About two to three days ago, we received information from a childline centre that the girls had been given away by their family. We began questioning the family but they were not cooperative. Following this, we tracked down the company where they were supposed to be going but the owner there said that he did not hire them. Hence, our search is still underway and we are confident that we will find them by tomorrow (Saturday) morning.”
As of now, the police have booked the grandmother under the Child Labour Act. She has been detained in a local police station for questioning.
“Till we manage to trace the children and understand the terms of hiring, we won't know if it is child labour or bonded labour,” the SP added.
The children are suspected to be at a company or factory in Tirupur district.
More details in the case are awaited.