Karnataka: Relatives Give Away Minor Girl in Bonded Labour Unable to Pay Rs 15,000 Loan; Case Lodged

A woman hailing from Tumakur in Karnataka sent her minor daughter to her sister's house to help the latter as she delivered a baby recently. But the sister did not send her daughter back even after many days. On enquiry, it was revealed that the sister's in-laws had given the girl away in bonded labour as they could not repay Rs 15,000 loan.

Tumakur (Karnataka): The case of a minor girl being given away in bonded labour towards a loan of just Rs 15,000 came to light in Karnataka's Tumakur district. The Karnataka girl was forced to work for a person in Hindupur, Andhra Pradesh, by her relatives because they could not clear their debt.

The girl is the daughter of a couple living in Dibbur, Tumakur. Her mother's sister recently delivered a baby and she asked her sister to send the girl to her home for a few days. The victim girl's mother agreed to her sister's request and sent her daughter.

But after going there, the mother-in-law and father-in-law of the girl's aunt forced her to work for a man from Andhra Pradesh to pay off the debt they had incurred. For 15,000 rupees, she was sent to tend ducks and do housework. A few days later, the girl's mother called her sister and asked to send her daughter back.

But after giving many reasons, the sister's family said that they would send the girl after a month. But even after a month, the daughter has not been sent back. When the girl's mother directly went to Andhra Pradesh and inquired about it, the fact came to light.

Immediately, after taking the help of Mohan and Narayan from the Kumar labour union, the girl's mother went to Andhra Pradesh with the help of the police and she managed to get her daughter back. In this regard, the woman filed a complaint against her sister's mother-in-law and father-in-law at the Tumakur Nagar police station.

Commenting on this, Basavaraj, Deputy Director of the Women and Child Welfare Department of Tumakur, said, "Information has been received about a case where a girl was kept as a bonded labour. An enquiry is being done to take legal action against the people who have done this," he said.