Three bonded labour victims rescued from cold storage at West Bengal’s Alipurduar
Authorities in West Bengal, India, rescued three individuals, including two minors, from a cold storage facility where they were held as bonded laborers. The rescue led to the filing of an FIR against two suspects under the Bonded Labour Act and human trafficking provisions.
Why it matters
The incident highlights the persistent issue of modern-day slavery and illegal labor practices in rural industrial sectors.
Three people, including two children, were rescued as bonded labour victims in Alipurduar district of West Bengal on Thursday (September 3, 2026).
The rescued group, one adult male and two children, were working in a cold storage facility. The children were 16 years old while the adult person was about 50 years old, rescuers said.
The adult victim, Kalipada Mondal, is from Nandakumarpur in the Sundarban region of South 24 Parganas. He was recruited by a local contractor through an advance-payment arrangement, with ₹25,000 reportedly paid as an advance and has been working for the past 25 years.
The two minors aged 16 years who were engaged without regular wages have been sent to a children’s home in Jalpaiguri district. They also are residents of Sundarbans.
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