Tamil Nadu Man Returns Home After 23 Years of Bonded Labour in Punjab

Prakash, a Tamil Nadu teenager who vanished in 2003 at age 16, was trafficked and forced to work chained on a buffalo dairy farm near the Pakistan border in Punjab, India. For more than two decades he endured unpaid labour under brutal conditions.

In July 2022 members of the Apna Farz Sewa Society located him at the farm in Lachkani village, Patiala district. After confirming his identity, they facilitated his rescue and provided medical care. Prakash’s mother, R. Sundari of Coimbatore district, had appealed to the district collector for help. The shelter arranged a video call that re‑united mother and son before they were finally brought together at the rehabilitation centre, where they embraced amid tears.

The reunion highlights the ongoing challenges of human trafficking and bonded labour in the region and the role of local NGOs and authorities in rescuing victims.