Nine out of the 12 children come from Rajasthan, one from Tamil Nadu and two from the city. K B Damor, Assistant Labour Commissioner, who headed the operation, said: “The Satellite area with many chai kitlis (tea stalls) and dhabas was under our surveillance for quite sometime. We received information about these children and planned an operation with the police.”

All the rescued children have been sent to the Child Care and Protection Home at Khanpur. Labour officials said they could have rescued many more children if many shop owners had not send the children away upon receiving the news of the raid.

The owners of the various establishments from where the children were rescued are now likely to be prosecuted. “We will prosecute all of them under the various provisions of the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986. The police have also assured us to keep a close watch in the area and prevent further instances of child labour,” said Damor. The Labour Department is also keeping a close watch on other areas in the city where there have been instances of child labour.