Seven more Odia labourers held captive in Andhra rescued

Sundergarh: Seven more labourers from Odisha who were held captive at a brik kiln in neighbouring State Andhra Pradesh, were rescued and brought back here.

A team of four officials of the Labour department rescued the labourers in Vizianagaram of Andhra Pradesh yesterday.

The seven labourers were detained by a brick kiln owner in Vizianagaram. Following the intervention of Odisha Labour department, the labourers were finally rescued and deported to Odisha.

Among seven, five are from Sundargarh district and two others are from Bargarh district.

Earlier, five labourers had managed to escape after the brick kiln owner allegedly threw acid and cut the finger of two labourers in Andhra.

According to reports, 12 labourers from Odisha had moved to Andhra and were engaged at Srisai Manikant brick kiln in Vizianagaram. They allegedly were not paid after working for two months. After they asked for their wage, the owner allegedly poured acid on one of them and chopped off the finger of another labourer.

Read: Odisha labourers tortured in Andhra; acid splashed, fingers cut

Though five of them, including the acid attack victim, managed to escape and reach Sundargarh, seven were held captive by the kiln owner.