‘Beaten with rods, pit bulls kept to scare us’, recall rescued labourers

AGRA: Days after 12 bonded labourers were rescued from an alleged captivity racket inside a disposable bowls factory in Muzaffarnagar’s Mandi village, survivors told police and doctors that they were confined for months, beaten with iron rods and spear-like tools as ferocious pit bull dogs guarded them lest they try to escape. The workers, rescued during a police operation at the factory under Titawi police station limits, are undergoing medical treatment and psychological counselling. Police are also probing their allegation that a 13th labourer, Arjun, was killed in Nov 2025, and his body dumped. Reports said the case came to light after a labourer from Rajasthan’s Jodhpur district managed to escape by scaling the boundary wall and reached the police. Many of the rescued workers had visible injury marks, while some appeared malnourished and traumatised, officials said. They told investigators they were brought to Muzaffarnagar from railway stations and public places with promises of jobs, regular wages, food and accommodation, but once inside the factory, their mobile phones were taken away, identity documents destroyed and contact with families cut off for months.

Ramu, a resident of Nainital in Uttarakhand, said he was brought to Muzaffarnagar around two-and-a-half months ago on the pretext of employment. “We were treated like prisoners. We were not allowed to step outside the gate. They fed us dry rotis made from bran. If anyone made a mistake or asked questions, they beat us with iron rods and often used a spear to injure us,” he said. He added that the fear was constant because punishment could follow any small act of resistance. “We lived in fear every day. Nobody knew when the next beating would come,” Ramu said. Shivam Kumar, a resident of Auraiya in UP, showed injury marks while describing months of confinement. For Jagdish, a resident of Sitapur, the separation from his family was the hardest part of captivity. “Whenever we talked about going home, they’d torture us. For 11 months, I could not speak to my family. At one point, I felt I would never see them again,” he said. Narayan, a resident of Bilaspur in Chhattisgarh, said he was brought from Old Delhi railway station. “After police rescued us, it felt as if I had got a second life,” he said.

Rani, mother of rescued labourer Shivam, said the family had lost contact with him after Jan. “My son had gone to Gurugram for work. He would usually work for a few months and return home, but after Jan, we completely lost contact with him. We cried, searched for him everywhere and waited for his calls. It was only when we received a call from Titavi police station two days ago that we were able to speak to him,” she said. Dr Depankar Kumar, posted at the govt hospital where the labourers were examined, said many injuries appeared old. “The psychological impact of the torture seems as deep,” he said, adding that two labourers showed signs of significant psychological trauma. SSP Sanjay Kumar Verma said, “Medical examinations have revealed numerous injury marks on the workers’ bodies.” Police arrested Shiva Tyagi and Pradeep Balyan and sent them to judicial custody, while factory owner Ankit Balyan remains absconding. Officials said the probe now covers illegal confinement, bonded labour, assault, non-payment of wages, destruction of documents, intimidation, rehabilitation of rescued workers and the alleged murder of Arjun, with teams checking missing-person records and trying to establish where the body was allegedly dumped.