HARIPUR: Deputy director labour, Hazara division, Faizullah Khan, has filed a challan (charge sheet) in the local labour court against a beverage manufacturing unit for violating the Child Labour Act 2013 after sudden death of a 14-year-old factory worker under mysterious circumstances, official sources said here on Saturday.

Police quoted Mohammad Aslam, a resident of Dingi village, as saying that his grandson Ali Sher, 14, was serving as helper in a private beverage manufacturing unit at Hattar economic zone. He reportedly collapsed on Friday afternoon and died before he could be taken to hospital.

The factory administration claimed that cause of death of Ali Sher, who was working as sweeper, was cardiac arrest. However, Mr Aslam contested the claim and said his grandson suffered an electric shock and his body also carried injury marks.

On the complaint of Mr Aslam, the Hattar police started an inquiry while the autopsy report was awaited.

Meanwhile, according to Mr Faizullah, his office had recovered Rs300,000 from the factory administration as compensation against the on-duty death of Ali Sher and filed a case (challan) in the court of judge labor court, Haripur, under Child Labour Act 2013 for hiring a below 18 child without informing the office of director labour and not maintaining occupational safety.

HOUSE LOOTED: Armed robbers deprived a family of cash and valuables in the urban area here, the family and police said on Saturday.

According to Mohammad Abdullah, a resident of Malikyar Road, someone rang the doorbell and when he opened it six masked men wearing gloves barged into their house. He said that the robbers looted Rs600,000 cash, four-tola gold ornaments and mobile sets.

When the complainant and his father Mohammad Siddiq tried to put up resistance the robbers injured them by hitting them in the heads with pistol butts. The police have started investigations.

Published in Dawn, September 20th, 2020