Officials from Tiruppur district administration and Tiruppur City Police rescued 19 women from Odisha early on Sunday morning from a private garment factory at 15 Velampalayam. They were allegedly forced to work against their will at the private garment company.
Sources in the city police and Revenue Department said that the 19 women, all of whom aged 18 years and above, were from Rayagada district in Odisha. They arrived at the garment company in December 2020 for a three-month training programme. However, they were allegedly forced to stay back and work after the training period ended without adequate remuneration, the sources said.
The women had called their parents in Rayagada district recently to inform them about their condition and their parents had petitioned the authorities in Odisha. Based on the inputs received by Tiruppur City Commissioner of Police G. Karthikeyan from Odisha late on Saturday, officials from Revenue Department, Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health and Department of Social Welfare along with a team from Velampalayam police station visited the garment company past midnight on Sunday for inspection.
The officials rescued the 19 women and provided accommodation for them at a wedding hall in adherence to the COVID-19 safety protocol on Sunday morning. The women will board a train to Odisha from Tiruppur on Monday, according to the sources. Action will be initiated against the garment company after due investigation, the sources added.
