Coimbatore, Apr 18 (PTI) Nineteen women, hailing from Rayagada district of Odisha, were rescued from a knitwear unit in Tirupur on Sunday as they were forced to work against their will, police said.

The women were brought to the unit in December last and were undergoing training for the last three months without any financial benefits, the police said.

They expressed a desire to return home, but their employer forced them to work for another month after which some of the workers informed their parents, they said. The parents informed the Odisha government, which in turn sounded the Tirupur district administration and it ordered the officials in the revenue, police, social welfare and labour departments to inquire into the matter. Later, all the 19 were rescued, they said. An inquiry with the unit owner is on, they added.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)