The Ravi Road Police recovered two minor brothers, who were detained and chained by a landlord in a house located near Timber Market on Tuesday. The boys were identified as 12-year-old Muhammad Shahzad and 10-years-old Muhammad Ramzan, residents of the same area. According to details, local residents witnessed two boys walking on Main Ravi Road in the morning with handcuffs and chained legs on which they informed police, which immediately reached the spot and took the minor boys into custody.
Ravi Road Police Station Sub-Inspector Muhammad Akram, who first reached the spot, questioned the minor boys, who revealed their story to him and claimed that they were kept detained by landlord Muhammad Tahir. According to police, Shahzad and Ramzan were living along with their parents and seven siblings in a house owned by Tahir. Police said that Tahir and his family were also living in the same house located at Street 6, Timber Market, Ravi Road.
Police said that parents of Shahzad and Ramzan had handed them over to Tahir for child labour for Rs 1,000 and 800 respectively. According to police, both boys did not want to work for Tahir and wanted to escape every week on which Tahir got infuriated and put them under illegal detention at his residence. During wee hours of Tuesday, while Tahir and his family were sleeping, both boys managed to escape from the house and reached the main road with handcuffs and chained legs, police said.
According to police, a case has been registered against Tahir on complaint of Sub-Inspector Muhammad Akram under the Child Protection Act. Afterwards, police handed over the children to the Child Protection Bureau. Talking to journalists, both boys said that they did not want to work for Tahir, as he used to torture them and force them to work for long hours against a few rupees.
They claimed that even a few days ago, they had requested their father Muhammad Nawaz that they did not want to work for Tahir but their father did not allow them to leave the job. Shahzad and Ramzan said that Tahir did not give them food and also used to beat them for nothing at his dera. Shamim Bibi, the mother of Shahzad and Ramzan, told journalists that her husband was ill and underwent surgery due to which he was not able to work. Shamim said that she was working earlier but nowadays she was jobless too.
She said that Shahzad and Ramzan were working at the dera of Tahir for a few months but he was used to torture them for nothing. Shamim claimed that around a month ago, she stopped Shahzad and Ramzan from working for Tahir but he forcibly took them with him. She claimed that around two days ago, Tahir brought Shahzad and Ramzan to his house and detained them with chains.
She said that their poverty had forced them to put their children into child labour and what else they could do when they did not have any other sources of income. Shamim requested philanthropists to help them. Ravi Road Police Station SHO Kamran Zaman told Pakistan Today that police also nominated parents of Shahzad and Ramzan in the case because they are also equally responsible for the mishap.
He said that according to law, no one is allowed to put his or her children into child labour and even if Ramzan and Shahzad’s parents are poor, they are not allowed to put them into child labour. Zaman said that the case was registered by police purely on statements of two children who equally held their parents responsible for the mishap.
He said that investigations are underway and the children have been handed over to the Child Protection Bureau.
From shackles to freedom
