Berhampur: Three migrant labourers from Ganjam district who were allegedly confined in a room and assaulted by a firm’s owner in Tamil Nadu were rescued by police on Tuesday. B Budu Reddy, 32, B Purna Reddy, 30, and S Dhoba Reddy, 31, all residents of Laxmi Narayanpur in Digapahandi block were rescued from Nagapattinam by a police team from Digapahandi with the help of their Tamil Nadu counterparts.“After registering a case based on the complaints of the family members of the victims on Friday at Digapahandi police station, a five-member police team rushed to Tamil Nadu. The team rescued the labourers with the help of Tamil Nadu police,” said SP (Berhampur) Saravana Vivek M. Earlier, he contacted the Nagapattinam SP seeking his help to rescue the workers. “The rescued workers along with police are expected to arrive in Berhampur in a couple of days. Details about their ordeal would be known only after their arrival,” he said. Sources said the victims had gone to Tamil Nadu about 15 days ago through a labour contractor who assured to engage them in a biscuit factory with decent salary. After waiting for two days, they could not get jobs and decided to return to the village through the nearest railway station. Another contractor, however, encouraged them to work in a separate site and took them to the workplace. But the owner allegedly denied them access to their mobile phones, and confined them in a room without paying their wages. When they asked for their wages, they were allegedly assaulted and asked to work overtime. Dhoba managed to inform his family over the phone on Thursday. Family members of the victims then lodged a police complaint and requested the local tehsildar for their rescue. Body of a 32-year-old migrant from Bajapalli, S Santosh Reddy, who was working in Chennai for several years, reached his village on Monday. He suddenly fell ill and was rushed by others to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared him dead. Family members, however, alleged foul play as the autopsy could not be performed. District labour officer (DLO) Subhalaxmi Behera said they were not aware about the death of the worker as family members didn’t inform them.
