Kidnapped man kept as ‘bonded’ labourer

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, February 22

Deputy Mayor Younis Kumar on Saturday produced a man in front of the media, who was allegedly kidnapped and kept as a bonded labourer by a farmer in Jhabal village.

The victim, Gulzar Singh (52) of Waryam Singh Colony, told mediapersons that while returning home from a factory on Monday, he was kidnapped by two persons, who took him to Jhabal village and kept him as bonded labourer. He said in the daytime, he was forced to lift cow dung, chopp fodder for animals and look after crops and was chained in the evening by them.

Gulzar said he managed to slip away from the custody on Friday and reached the Bhagtanwala grain market after taking a lift. He alleged that one more youth was being kept as bonded labourer by the farmer.

Though a missing complaint was lodged by Gulzar’s wife, the police had failed to locate him. Sukhbir Singh, SHO, Gate Hakima, said the matter was under investigation.

The Deputy Mayor urged the Police Commissioner, Dr Sukhchain Singh Gill, to order probe by a senior police official in the case. He claimed that another youth, Mithan, had been missing February 6 from the Gurbax Nagar area.

Kumar urged the police to raid the farmer’s house, rescue another youth still in his custody and arrest the suspect.