In a significant rescue operation, 57 minors, including 31 girls and 26 boys, were freed from a slaughterhouse in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh. This joint operation was carried out by the police and the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) following a complaint received by the NCPCR.
The complaint, lodged by Mission Mukti, reported that around 40 children from Bihar and West Bengal were being subjected to inhumane working conditions at the slaughterhouse. Acting on this, the Ghaziabad Police Commissionerate coordinated with the NCPCR to address the issue.
NCPCR chief Priyank Kanoongo, in a post on X, detailed the operation: “Today, in a joint raid conducted with @NCPCR_ on the instructions of @Uppolice at the International Agro Food slaughterhouse of Yasin Qureshi in the Mussoorie area of Ghaziabad district in Uttar Pradesh, 57 minors (31 girls and 26 boys, including handicapped people) have been rescued; the operation is still on. All of them were being made to slaughter animals there.” He also mentioned that the number of minors might change after the completion of age verification processes.
आज उत्तरप्रदेश के ग़ाज़ियाबाद ज़िले के मसूरी इलाक़े में याशीन कुरेशी के इंटरनेशनल एग्रो फ़ूड के पशु क़त्लखाने पर @NCPCR_ के निर्देश पर @Uppolice के साथ की गयी संयुक्त छापामार कार्यवाही में 57 नाबालिगों (31 लड़कियाँ व 26 लड़कों इनमें दिव्यांग भी शामिल हैं।) को रेस्क्यू किया गया है… pic.twitter.com/0pmkT2dHgg
— प्रियंक कानूनगो Priyank Kanoongo (मोदी का परिवार) (@KanoongoPriyank) May 29, 2024
A senior police officer revealed that the children were brought to Ghaziabad under false promises of employment due to the poor economic conditions of their families. “They (the minors) were then put to work at International Agro Foods without their prior knowledge of the nature of the work. The police are searching for the persons who brought these children from their states to initiate action against them,” the officer added.
The joint operation at International Agro Foods, located in the Dasna area, led to the successful rescue of the minors. This slaughterhouse is involved in meat processing, freezing, and exports, supplying a significant portion of its products overseas.
The police have stated that further actions are being taken to locate and prosecute those responsible for trafficking the children to Ghaziabad. The rescue operation underscores the ongoing efforts of law enforcement and child protection agencies to combat child labor and exploitation.
The rescued children are now under the care of the authorities, and measures are being taken to ensure their safety and well-being. The NCPCR and the police continue to monitor the situation closely to prevent such incidents in the future.
