Mumbai, August 20: In a significant operation, Mumbai police rescued 13 child laborers from a fake jewelry manufacturing unit in Kandivali. The police announced on Thursday that the raid targeted a facility known as ‘Jahara Fashion Era’ located in the Charcop Industrial Estate.
The rescued children, aged between 13 and 17, were reportedly employed to produce counterfeit jewelry and bangles. Initial investigations revealed that these minors were forced to work for nine to ten hours a day without receiving fair wages. All 13 children hail from various districts in West Bengal.
During the raid, authorities discovered that the children were living at the workplace itself. The unit’s owner and operator failed to provide valid documents proving the children’s ages.
Police have taken the unit’s owner, Ankit Kumar Mahendra Rawal, and operator, Sameenur Motiar Rahman Sheikh, into custody. They are facing charges under the Child and Adolescent Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act and relevant sections of the Juvenile Justice Act. The rescued minors have been handed over to the appropriate department for further care and necessary actions.
Authorities are now investigating who brought the children from West Bengal to Mumbai and whether a larger network related to child labor is operating behind this racket.
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