The Karnataka Police have arrested a couple on the charges of keeping two children as bonded labourers after their father died without repaying a loan in Ballari district, bringing to light the prevalence of bonded labour in many inner parts of the country.
The arrests were made in the Srirampura Colony in Ballari city, said the police on Friday. The couple has been identified as Dadu and Munni. According to police, the workers of the city Women Congress wing conducted raids along with police and freed the two kids.
Police said Nagaraj, the father of children, took a loan of Rs 30,000 from the accused persons. He died due to illness without clearing the debt. Nagaraj's wife Sunitha worked as a house maid and took care of her four children.
Meanwhile, the accused couple exerted pressure on Sunitha to repay the loan taken by her husband. When Sunitha expressed helplessness in returning the loan, the couple forcefully took her 15-year-old son and 9-year-old daughter to their home.
The couple kept the two minors in their home and made them work. The rescued children were sent back to their mother, and the Ballari police were further investigating the case.
