MEERUT, June 25 -- In a chilling exposure of human trafficking and modern-day slavery, the police have dismantled a bonded labour racket operating out of a disposable leaf bowl and paper plate manufacturing facility in Mandi village of UP's Muzaffarnagar district. A coordinated raid led to the rescue of 12 captive workers and arrest of two accused, uncovering a horrific regime of physical abuse, systemic torture and suspected custodial deaths within the compound. The operation was initiated after a labourer, identified as Vikram, a native of Jodhpur, Rajasthan, successfully scaled the factory walls and fled to the Titawi police station. Vikram presented local authorities with graphic accounts of illegal confinement, starvation, and continuous assault. Acting on the complaint, SSP Sanjay Verma constituted a special investigation team, which conducted a raid on the factory earlier this week. According to police, the rescued workers belonged to UP, Bihar, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Nepal. Investigators suspect that some of them had been held captive and forced to work at the factory for nearly one-and-a-half years. Police officials said the workers were allegedly lured from railway stations, bus stands and other crowded public places with false promises of employment, decent salaries, food and accommodation. Once brought to the factory, their mobile phones and identity documents were allegedly confiscated, cutting them off from their families and preventing them from leaving. "The workers were strictly forbidden from contacting their families and not allowed to leave the premises. Any attempt to escape or protest was met with brutal violence," SSP Verma said. The victims told investigators that they were compelled to work from around 4am until nearly midnight every day with little time for rest. Even illness was reportedly not accepted as a valid reason for taking leave. Workers alleged that they were routinely threatened, assaulted and forced to continue working under inhuman conditions. Police said medical examinations conducted after the rescue revealed severe injuries on many labourers. Officials reported deep lacerations, bruises, fractures, broken ribs and signs of prolonged physical trauma. According to investigators, the accused allegedly used heated iron rods, fan belts, sticks and other objects to beat workers. Pitbull dogs were also allegedly used to intimidate and control the labourers, creating an atmosphere of constant fear. The rescued workers further alleged that they were denied adequate food and often forced to survive on rotis made from bran, commonly used as animal fodder. Many reportedly broke down while recounting their experiences after being brought to police lines following the rescue. Police said preliminary investigations indicate that some labourers may have died inside the factory due to torture, inhuman working conditions and lack of medical care. Authorities said the identity of at least one deceased worker has been established, while efforts are underway to identify others and ascertain the exact circumstances surrounding their deaths. The factory, which had reportedly been operating for the past seven years and manufactured disposable leaf bowls and paper plates, is now under investigation. Police have arrested Pradeep Baliyan, father of factory operator Ankit Baliyan and factory supervisor Shiva Tyagi. The main accused, Ankit Baliyan, along with another suspect, remains absconding. Police teams have been deployed to trace and arrest the remaining accused. The SSP said the case has been registered under multiple serious charges, including human trafficking, bonded labour, murder and provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, among other relevant sections of law. "Our teams will be searching other factories as well," the SSP said, indicating that authorities are examining whether similar exploitative operations may be functioning elsewhere in the region. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday termed the alleged atrocities against labourers in a factory in Muzaffarnagar district as an "assault on human dignity" and sought justice for them and harshest possible punishment to the perpetrators. He shared a post on social media, stating: "The case of bonded labour in Muzaffarnagar is extremely shocking. Apart from forcing them to work without wages, the workers were allegedly made to be bitten by dogs, stabbed with spears, whipped and fed cattle fodder. This is an attack on human dignity. The victims should be provided justice along with rehabilitation and the accused should be given the strictest possible punishment..."...