CHENNAI: Twenty-nine bonded labourers, including 14 children, were rescued from a brick kiln unit in Parivakkam, on the outskirts of Chennai.

Acting on a tip-off, a team led by Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO) of Tiruvallur, S Raichandran, conducted a raid at the facility on Tuesday evening. They found 43 individuals, including 14 children, from 13 families.

Upon inquiry, it was revealed that the workers had arrived at the brick kiln in January this year, after accepting an advance payment for a three-month work period. Despite fulfilling their agreement by producing the required number of bricks, the owner of the kiln did not allow them to leave. They were paid only Rs 200 per couple per week as wages.

Unable to endure the long working hours without proper payment, the labourers contacted their relatives back home and informed them of their situation. The matter was subsequently brought to the attention of authorities in Bolangir, Odisha, their home district, and was later forwarded to the Tamil Nadu authorities, said the RDO.

After a thorough inquiry with the victims, officials issued release certificates and deposited a compensation amount of Rs 30,000 each into the adults' bank accounts. “We have arranged train tickets for their journey home on Wednesday and deployed officials to accompany the victims to ensure their safe return,” the official added. An investigation, as per the Bonded Labour Act, has also been initiated into the case.