800 child labourers, 503 from Bengaluru alone, rescued in two-hour crackdown across Karnataka

In a Statewide crackdown on child labour on Saturday, police teams and Labour Department officials inspected 16,951 premises across Karnataka and rescued 800 children, all in a matter of two hours, with Bengaluru city alone accounting for 63% of the rescues, at 503

Updated - September 13, 2026 07:08 am IST - Bengaluru

The crackdown comes against the backdrop of Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar’s surprise visit to the APMC Yard in Yeshwantpur, recently, where officials found 19 children working on the premises.

In a Statewide crackdown on child labour on Saturday, police teams and Labour Department officials inspected 16,951 premises across Karnataka and rescued 800 children, all in a matter of two hours, with Bengaluru city alone accounting for 63% of the rescues, at 503

The crackdown comes against the backdrop of Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar’s surprise visit to the APMC Yard in Yeshwantpur, recently, where officials found 19 children working on the premises. Following this, the Chief Minister had ordered a Statewide crackdown, and the action on Saturday covered markets, eateries, workshops, construction sites, garages, welding shops and small industrial establishments.

The special drive was conducted between 10 a.m. and noon across 962 police stations.

Bengaluru city recorded the highest number, with 503 children rescued. The police teams inspected 5,897 premises across 188 police station limits.

A total of 18 cases were registered under the Child and Adolescent Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986 and the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015.

The rescued children belonged to Karnataka, Bihar, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Assam, Jharkhand, and Nepal. “A majority of the children rescued are from hotels, restaurants, eateries, petrol pumps, grocery stores and warehouses. They had been employed because they can be paid far less than adults,” said Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh.

“The rescue operation was categorised under hazardous and non-hazardous occupations. In cases involving hazardous employment, FIRs have been registered against the employers. Employers found engaging children in non-hazardous work have been issued notices,” another senior officer, who was part of the operation, told The Hindu.

Vijayapura district reported the second-most number of rescues, with 72, after inspections at 1,156 premises. The district reported 25 instances of action, including three FIRs. Tumakuru district rescued 33 children from 660 premises.

Not a single child labourer was rescued during the drive from KGF, Mysuru, Mandya, Davangere, Hassan, Shivamogga, Uttara Kannada, Chikkamagaluru, Gadag, and Raichur districts

The rescued children have been handed over to the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) for the rehabilitation process.

Published - September 13, 2026 07:07 am IST

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