41 middlemen arrested for trafficking labourers to other

At least 41 middlemen have been arrested for allegedly trafficking labourers to other states during a special drive launched by police in Odisha's Balangir and Nuapada districts, a police officer said on Sunday.

Acting on a tip-off, special police teams conducted simultaneous raids on several locations in the two west Odisha districts on Saturday and picked up 41 agents indulging in illegal human trafficking, the officer said.

While 25 middlemen were arrested and nine cases registered in Balangir district, 16 agents were taken into custody and six cases slapped in Nuapada in connection with illegal trafficking of labourers, he said.

The agents were nabbed when they were engaged in an exercise to finalise deals with several labourers who had gathered at these places.

The accused persons were engaged in trafficking labourers illegally to different states - Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra and Karnataka -, he said adding that the middlemen will be interrogated thoroughly to obtain details of their modus operandi.

Stating that the drive against labour agents operating in the state will be intensified, the officer said that the move will play a major role in checking illegal human trafficking by middlemen.

Police said the labourers, who fall into the trap of agents, are sent to far off places outside the state after being paid some advance money. Most of them are tortured, harassed and made to work in inhuman conditions, they said.

The drive against labour agents has been stepped up following a direction from Director General of Police B K Sharma as part of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik's '5T' initiative seeking to achieve progress through Transparency, Teamwork, Technology and Time leading to Transformation.

A special drive has already been launched by police in the state against middlemen in state-run hospitals and transport offices.