300 people rescued from car containers in Chhattisgarh

Raipur, Nov 16 (UNI) More than 300 people, including women and children, who were being transported in three huge closed containers meant for ferrying cars, have been rescued here police said today.

These people, including 60 children, were found inside the car containers, after the containers were intercepted here last evening following a tip off that they carry people, who were being taken to Uttar Pradesh to work in brick kilns.

''The people were being carried inside the closed containers.

It was worse than carrying cattle and poultry'', said police officials, who intercepted the vehicles.

Three containers along with an another vehicle, which was following them, were detained and the drivers were taken into custody during the raid by a team led by Additional Labour Commissioner Savita Mishra.

During interrogation, the container drivers told the police that these labourers, belonging to the villages around Pithora, were brick kiln workers.

During a halt at Pithora, on way back to Pune from Kolkata, where the drivers had unloaded a consignment of cars, one Mazhar Khan contacted them at a wayside hotel and asked them for taking these labourers to Durg railway station, police said.

Besides, it was also learnt that one Mukesh Agrawal of Pithora was the agent, who was instrumental in sending these labourers to work in brick kilns in Uttar Pradesh.

Police said a case had been registered under Section 279 IPC on the charges of negligently endangering human life and Section 39 IPC for violating permit norms. Investigation was in progress, police added.

UNI