Fourteen people, allegedly engaged in forced labour at Sohag Brick Field at Itbaria village in Kolapara upazila of Patuakhali district, were rescued by Rab personnel yesterday.Photo: STAR
A Rab-8 team yesterday rescued 14 people allegedly engaged in forced labour at a brick field under Kalapara upazila in the district.
The labourers were confined to Sohag Brick Field, owned by Nurul Haque Munshi of Itbaria village under Kalapara upazila. All the rescued people hailed from different villages under Paikgachha and Dakope upazilas in Khulan district.
Major Nuruzzaman, company commander for Rab-8 Patuakhali camp said, following a tip-off, they raided the brick field and rescued the labourers including women and children. The owner brought them from Khulna and his men forced them to work for over 10 to 12 hours a day.
"We came to work here a month ago. Since then, the owner did not pay us regularly for which we could not send money to our families," Abul Kalam, a labourer, told this correspondent.
"A few musclemen of the owner always kept watch on us so that we can not flee from the field," he added.
Sensing presence of law enforcers, the manager and other employees of the brick field fled the scene, Rab sources said.
A case was under process with Kalapara police station at the time of filing this report yesterday afternoon.
Rab sources added they earlier rescued 19 other labourers from the same place and fined the owner Tk 10,000 on charge of illegally burning firewood, on February 22 this year.
Manager and a caretaker were also jailed for 15 days and fined Tk 2,000 each, they said.
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