Bhubaneswar: Cracking down against labour traffickers, the state police arrested 50 middlemen Thursday following raids conducted in Rayagada, Nabarangpur and Kalahandi districts, police DG Bijay Kumar Sharma Friday said.
According to Sharma, acting on specific intelligence inputs, special police teams raided several places where labourers were gathered and nabbed the middlemen who were busy finalising deals for the season.
Following the crackdown, 15 persons were nabbed in Rayagada, while 21 others were arrested from Nabarangpur and 14 more were arrested from Kalahandi district.
Cases under relevant sections under IPC have been lodged against all the accused persons and they are being probed further.
Notably, the cops arrested 41 middlemen from Balangir and Nuapada districts October 12 for allegedly trafficking labourers from the state to several parts of the country.
Police said the labourers, who fall into the trap of agents, are sent to far off places outside the state after being paid some advance money. Most of them are tortured, harassed and made to work in inhuman conditions.
PNN