The Special Juvenile Aid Police Unit (JAPU) of Mumbai Police has registered as many as 40 cases related to child labour since the beginning of 2024. In these operations, a total of 87 minor children have been rescued, with a majority of them hailing from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, police sources revealed. So far in 2025, 12 such cases have already been registered.
According to police sources, 28 cases of child labour were registered in 2024 across various police stations in Mumbai. These cases led to the rescue of 61 children. Continuing the crackdown, 12 more cases have been filed in 2025 so far, resulting in the rescue of 26 minors. Overall, 87 children have been rescued since last year, with most of them belonging to UP and Bihar.
In one of the recent actions, the JAPU unit of the Mumbai Crime Branch, along with officials from the state government, conducted a joint raid on a factory located in the jurisdiction of Rafi Ahmed Kidwai (RAK) Marg Police Station on Monday.
During the raid, six underage children were found to be working. The authorities confirmed that the children were being made to perform labour-intensive tasks at the site. Among those rescued, three boys were aged 17, two were 15, and one was 16. Of these, five were from Bihar and one from Uttar Pradesh.
The police have registered a case against the factory owner, identified as Mohammad Ziaullah Allauddin Ashraf (40), under Sections 75 and 79 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children)Act, 2015.