On Tuesday, Meharbaan’s phone rang — it was Dilshad.

The weapons used to torture the men, seized by police. (Muzaffarnagar Police/@muzafarnagarpol)

He and 11 other men had been rescued on Monday by the Muzaffarnagar Police from a factory manufacturing disposable leaf plates in Titawi area, where they were allegedly held as bonded labourers. Police said the workers were confined for months, forced to work for up to 20 hours a day, subjected to repeated physical abuse.

“When I heard my son’s voice, I was so overwhelmed that I couldn’t speak for a few moments,” recalled Meharbaan. “The first thing I asked was where he was. He said Muzaffarnagar. I immediately asked him to come home.”

For Dilshad, the three months at the factory were like living in hell.

“We were never allowed to leave the premises,” he told The Indian Express over the phone. “If anyone asked to go home, questioned the conditions, or even slept for more than three or four hours, they were beaten and tortured. They also took away my mobile phone, so I had no way of telling my family or anyone outside what we were enduring.”

The 12 men are served lunch by the police. (Express Photo)

The rescue op

On Monday, a joint team of the police, district administration and labour department raided the manufacturing unit in Mandi village after receiving information from a man who had reportedly escaped from the factory.

The men, aged between 16 and 44, from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh, Haryana and Rajasthan, were rescued.

Police have arrested two people: Pradeep Balyan (49), father of factory owner Ankit Balyan; and Ankit’s associate, Shiva Tyagi (26). Ankit is on the run; police said multiple teams are conducting raids to arrest him.

The accused have been booked under sections of the Child and Adolescent Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986; the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015; and the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976.

Outside the manufacturing unit in Mandi village, Muzaffarnagar. (PTI)

Police said the workers alleged they had been lured from railway stations and other public places by Ankit and others with promises of steady jobs, decent wages, free accommodation and meals, only to find themselves trapped inside the factory.

Inside, the accused allegedly kept the men under their control through violence, intimidation and verbal abuse, subjecting them to inhumane living and working conditions while preventing them from leaving the premises.

Superintendent of Police, Muzaffarnagar, Sanjai Kumar said a Special Investigation Team (SIT), headed by Superintendent of Police Mahadik Akshay Sanjay, has been constituted to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the allegations.

‘One meal, beaten with sticks’

The workers recounted the abuse they faced — little food, daily beatings, and even a dog to terrorise them.

Sonu Chauhan from Agra said he had been working at the factory for the last two months. “I was brought here from Ambala after being promised a salary of Rs 14,000 a month for an eight-hour workday, along with free food and accommodation,” said the 42-year-old.

The two arrested men: Pradeep Balyan (49), father of factory owner Ankit Balyan; Ankit’s associate, Shiva Tyagi (26). (Express Photo)

“As soon as I arrived, they took away my mobile phone. The harassment began immediately. We were given only one meal a day, usually dry rotis. Whenever we asked for our wages or asked to leave, we were beaten with sticks and abused. We were forced to work like bonded labourers,” he alleged.

His phone, too, was taken away. “The accused had several implements, including iron rods and heavy sticks, which they used to assault us,” alleged Sonu.

Police said the workers’ claimed Ankit appointed Shiva to keep them under constant surveillance and assault them whenever they resisted or attempted to leave.

Circle Officer, Muzaffarnagar, Vishwajeet Singh said police also found a pit bull chained inside the factory during the raid.

This dog, the rescued workers told the police, was allegedly used to terrorise them and stop them from escaping. Police said the dog was let loose every night to patrol the factory premises, while the labourers were confined to two small rooms at the rear of the unit.

Inside the manufacturing unit in Mandi village, Muzaffarnagar. (PTI)

A murder claim

Police have also registered a case of murder against Ankit and Shiva after workers, in their statements, claimed a fellow labourer, identified only as Topi alias Arjun, died after being assaulted at the factory.

“The owners told us that about seven months ago, one of the workers died after being severely beaten by them,” Sonu claimed. “They said his body was stuffed into a sack and dumped outside. Whether it was true or not, the story left us terrified and frightened to resist or try to escape. They also threatened us with the firearms they carried,” he claimed.

Circle Officer Singh said police had recovered the body of an unidentified man stuffed inside a sack in the village in November last year. But they were unable to establish his identity at the time, and, after legal procedures, the body was cremated.

Asked about Topi’s case, Station House Officer of Titawi police station, Pramod Kumar, said they are trying to trace him and his family.

Returning home

Among those rescued is Santosh Hembram — the 38-year-old had been at the factory for 10 months.

His brother-in-law Chotte Lal, who came to take him home to Bihar, said: “Santosh had gone to Ambala in search of work. From there, Ankit took him to Muzaffarnagar with promises of a well-paid job, but kept him confined at the factory.”

“We travelled to Ambala several times, searching for him for the past nine months… Then on Tuesday, my sister, Suneeta Devi, called… she said Santosh finally contacted them… she asked me to bring him back.”

Santosh wants nothing more than to be reunited with my family — his wife, four daughters and a son. “I had been working in Ambala…,” he said. But I was lured to Muzaffarnagar with the promise of a job, where I was subjected to unimaginable hardship and abuse.”

Police said all 12 workers bore visible injury marks on their bodies and were medically examined. They also received psychological counselling to help them recover from the trauma they endured.

Police said families were informed, and relatives of eight reached Muzaffarnagar by Wednesday to take them home after the required legal formalities like recording their statement before court.

Officials said they are coordinating with the government departments concerned to ensure the workers receive rehabilitation assistance and other government welfare scheme benefits.

Like Santosh, Dilshad, too, longs to see his family. “Now that I have been rescued, I want nothing more than to return home and rebuild my life,” he said.