9-year-old tribal boy’s death in Tirupati district exposes bonded labour horror
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Tirupati: The shocking death of a 9-year-old boy from the Yanadi tribal community has brought to light a disturbing case of bonded labour and exploitation in Andhra Pradesh’s Tirupati district.
According to police, the boy, Yanadi Venkateshu, was illegally confined and forced into child labour for nearly a year by a family from N Agraharam in Satyavedu mandal. The Satyavedu police, under the supervision of Puttur DSP G Ravikumar, have arrested three accused: N Muthu (60), his wife M Dhanabhagyam (52), and their son M Rajasekhar (32).
The child’s mother, Ankamma, a resident of Chavatapalem in Gudur mandal, was working with her family as a farm labourer in Nellore district when they were approached by the accused. They were promised Rs 10,000/month wages and given an advance of Rs 15,000, only to be subjected to exploitative conditions, including duck rearing and agricultural work.
After Ankamma’s husband passed away, she returned home temporarily. Muthu then demanded Rs 45,000 to release the family from bonded labour. With no immediate funds, Ankamma left Venkateshu behind as a surety while she arranged the amount.
The boy, subjected to daily toil and abuse, pleaded to be rescued. Ankamma's repeated attempts to retrieve her son were met with lies, Muthu alternately claimed the child had been sent for work, hospitalized, or had run away.
The truth emerged after Ankamma filed a police complaint on 19 May 2025. Investigations revealed that Venkateshu had fallen ill on 11 April, was hospitalized in Pudupaalem, and died the next day. In a bid to hide the death, the accused secretly buried the body in Tamil Nadu’s Kancheepuram district, Muthu’s in-laws' native village.
The body was later exhumed under the supervision of Kanchi Sub-Collector Rafeeq and a postmortem was conducted at Chengalpattu Medical College. All three accused were remanded under multiple laws including the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, Child Labour Act, Juvenile Justice Act, and SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Activists highlight that this is not an isolated case. The Yanadi tribal community continues to face systemic exploitation across sectors such as duck rearing, charcoal production, brick kilns, and shrimp processing. Last year alone, nearly 50 Yanadi individuals were rescued from bonded labour across Andhra Pradesh.
In a similar recent case, Yanadi couple Namburu Padma and Agni from Nellore reported being trapped in bonded labour for over 15 years.
Shaik Basheer, Executive Secretary of ARD NGO and a District Vigilance Committee member, emphasized the urgent need for a State Action Plan on Bonded Labour to prevent such tragedies.
“Addressing individual cases is not enough. The state must proactively monitor industries and protect vulnerable communities,” he said.
NGOs such as Shed India have rescued other children from similar situations, and efforts are ongoing to ensure justice for Venkateshu’s family. Venkatesh, a representative of the National Adivasi Solidarity Council (NASC), confirmed that investigations continue, and the final postmortem report is awaited.
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South African police arrest suspect in mass shooting that killed 12, including 3 children
Johannesburg (AP): A 32-year-old suspect has been arrested in connection with a mass shooting which claimed the lives of 12 people including three children at an unlicensed pub earlier this month, South African police said on Monday.
The man is suspected of being one of the three people who opened fire on patrons in a pub at Saulsville township, west of South Africa's capital Pretoria, killing 12 people including three children aged 3, 12 and 16.
At least 13 people were also injured during the attack, whose motive remains unknown.
According to the police, the suspect was arrested on Sunday while traveling to Botlokwa in Limpopo province, more than 340 km from where the mass shooting took place on Dec 6.
An unlicensed firearm believed to have been used during the attack was recovered from the suspect's vehicle.
“The 32-year-old suspect was intercepted by Limpopo Tracking Team on the R101 Road in Westenburg precinct. During the arrest, the team recovered an unlicensed firearm, a hand gun, believed to have been used in the commission of the multiple murders. The firearm will be taken to the Forensic Science Laboratory for ballistic analysis,” police said in statement.
The suspect was arrested on the same day that another mass shooting at a pub took place in the Bekkersdal township, west of Johannesburg, in which nine people were killed and 10 wounded when unknown gunmen opened fire on patrons.
Police have since launched a search for the suspects.
South Africa has one of the highest homicide rates in the world and recorded more than 26,000 homicides in 2024 — an average of more than 70 a day. Firearms are by far the leading cause of death in homicides.
The country of 62 million people has relatively strict gun ownership laws, but many killings are committed with illegal guns, according to authorities.
According to police, mass shootings at unlicensed bars are becoming a serious problem. Police shut down more than 11,000 illegal taverns between April and September this year and arrested more than 18,000 people for involvement in illegal liquor sales.
