Berhampur: Two labourers from Gajapati district, allegedly subjected to bonded labour and illegally confined in Andhra Pradesh’s Tirupati, were rescued through a joint operation by Gajapati and Tirupati police.The rescued men were identified as Santiel Karado, 54, and his son Gamliel Karado, 29, of R Udayagiri block. After returning home, they visited the SDPO office at R Udayagiri on Tuesday and sought police help to recover around Rs 2 lakh in pending wages from their employer.Police said the duo was working under a businessman in Tirupati for past five years and was allegedly confined for the past eight days allegedly without enough food, prevented from contacting family members, not paid wages and threatened with being forced to work without pay from next month. The employer also did not allow them to take leave for the past six months, police said.Their family members approached R Udayagiri SDPO Rakesh Sahoo, seeking help. “We contacted Tirupati police immediately and shared all relevant details regarding the victims and their circumstances of confinement,” Sahoo said.He said the rescue was monitored until the duo reached their residence. Police have asked Tirupati police and labour officials in Gajapati to initiate legal action against those responsible and to facilitate recovery of the pending wages.Sahoo said efforts would also be made to identify and rescue other labourers from the region facing similar exploitation elsewhere.
