3 min readMumbaiFeb 10, 2026 08:30 PM IST
First published on: Feb 10, 2026 at 08:21 PM IST
Seven inter-state migrant workers were rescued from bonded labour at a wheel rim manufacturing unit in the MIDC industrial area of Ahilyanagar where they were allegedly confined for months, denied wages and subjected to threats and physical abuse.
Among the rescued is Moti Singh, 16, from Jawaritola village in Chhattisgarh’s Korea district. Two months after joining work, his right hand was caught in a machine, severing three fingers. The contractor allegedly provided only basic first aid and concealed the incident.
Once the wound partially healed, Singh was forced to resume heavy loading work despite his injury. He remains traumatised and could not speak when contacted.
The workers from Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh said they were recruited by local agents who promised supervisory jobs with monthly salaries of ₹18,000 to ₹21,000. Instead, they were made to work for over 15 hours a day without pay, with food and accommodation deducted from their supposed wages. Their mobile phones were confiscated, movements restricted and they were locked inside cramped rooms at night. Attempts to escape were allegedly met with beatings and threats.
The rescue exposed alleged bonded labour practices at a prominent automotive steel rim manufacturer.
On January 31, 2026, Dhirendra Pratap Singh, 27, from Sidhi district in Madhya Pradesh and the minor managed to escape. The minor retrieved his confiscated phone, searched online for help and contacted the India Labourline 1800 833 9020 run by Aajeevika Bureau.
On February 3, the complainants met Sub Divisional Magistrate Sudhir Patil in Ahilyanagar. Rehabilitation certificates were issued and a joint rescue team comprising labour department officials, MIDC police and local revenue officers was formed. The following day, the team raided the factory and rescued five workers still inside.
An FIR was registered at MIDC police station against contractor Ganesh Balasaheb Adao and supervisors Rajendra Yadav and Shahbaz Ali Mohammad Shaikh under the Bonded Labour System Abolition Act, 1976 and relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
The other rescued workers are Piyush Markam, 23, from Jabalpur; Ravi Gond, 17, from Chhattisgarh’s Korea district; Laxman Singh, 38, from Shahdol; Jagat Bahadur, 30, from Chhattisgarh’s Korea district and Deepak Rajbhar, 24, from Ghazipur in Uttar Pradesh.
Advocate Pratik Pawar, who handled the case, said multiple indicators of bonded labour were present including non-payment of wages, restriction of movement, confiscation of phones, coercion and forcing an injured minor to continue heavy labour. He said these facts establish bonded labour beyond doubt, warranting action under both the Bonded Labour Act and the BNS.
Parag Kamble from India Labourline said workers were trapped for months without wages, their phones were taken away and they were constantly monitored. He said the case shows how agents lure workers with false promises and hand them over to contractors who exploit them.
Officials from the Ahilyanagar labour department said compensation of ₹30,000 for adults and ₹20,000 for minors has been sanctioned and will be credited once bank details are received.
The workers from Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh said they were recruited by local agents who promised supervisory jobs with monthly salaries of ₹18,000 to ₹21,000. 
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