At least 19 children were rescued from a house in Rajkot, where they were allegedly kept captive and forced to make imitation jewellery.
The rescue was carried out by the Rajkot City Police, Special Operations Group (SOG), and Anti-Human Trafficking Unit. All the children are believed to be from West Bengal.
Officials said the children were found in poor condition and were immediately taken for medical check-ups. Many had injury marks on their hands and backs, suggesting they were physically abused.
According to the investigation, the children were brought to Rajkot over the last two years by a contractor who made them do manual labour, which is illegal.
The house they were found in belongs to a man named Babu Bala. Police are checking if there was a legal rental agreement. If not, more action may be taken under tenancy and trafficking laws.
Authorities believe this could be part of a larger child trafficking and bonded labour network in Gujarat, with Rajkot becoming a key area.
This is not the first case in the region. In April, 31 children were rescued from two saree factories in Jetpur. They were trafficked from Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Gujarat.
In another case, in July 2024, 29 children forced into begging were rescued by Ahmedabad Police. They were found at 18 different locations linked to trafficking groups from Rajasthan.