Forty-eight teenagers, including 31 girls and 17 boys, working as labourers at a sweet making unit in Mailaradevapally area here, were rescued in a joint operation by State Commission for Protection of Child Rights and CID, officials said today.
Acting on a tip-off that the minors were employed as child labourers, searches were conducted in the factory yesterday and 48 children, in the age group of 15-18, were rescued, CID Inspector Chandra Mohan told PTI.
The children were later sent to rescue homes.
Mailaradevapally Police registered a case under relevant sections of IPC and Juvenile Justice Act against the factory owner, who had employed the minors, he said.
The children were working in "hazardous condition," he further said.
"We along with different organisations conducted searches at the factory and found that children were doing labour work," the CID Inspector said.
The 31 girls and 17 boys rescued from the factory are from Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and some local areas of the city, he added.
