Tamil Nadu Tribal Boy Found Dead After Being Held As Loan Collateral
- A tribal boy in Tamil Nadu was found dead after being detained as collateral for a Rs 25,000 loan.
- The duck rearer and his family, who illegally held the boy’s family as bonded laborers, face charges after secretly burying the child. May 25, 2025.
In a tragic incident in Tirupati, Tamil Nadu, a young boy from the Yanadi tribal community was found dead after being held as collateral for a Rs 25,000 loan taken by his mother, Anakamma. The police have arrested a duck rearer, his wife, and their son for illegally detaining Anakamma and her three children as bonded laborers and secretly burying the boy’s body after his death. The arrests were made following a police investigation prompted by Anakamma’s complaint, with a post-mortem examination now underway to determine the cause of death.
Anakamma, her late husband Chenchaiah, and their children were forced into exploitative labor conditions after borrowing Rs 25,000 from the accused. After Chenchaiah’s death, the lender allegedly inflated the debt to Rs 45,000 with interest and refused to release the family unless it was repaid. Desperate to leave, Anakamma was coerced into leaving one of her sons behind as a “guarantee” for the loan.
The boy, subjected to harsh labor and alleged abuse, maintained intermittent contact with his mother, pleading for rescue. Their last conversation occurred on April 12, 2025. When Anakamma arranged to repay the debt by the end of April and returned for her son, the accused gave conflicting stories—claiming the boy was sent away, hospitalized, or had run away. Suspecting foul play, Anakamma alerted local tribal leaders and filed a police complaint.
Under interrogation, the duck rearer admitted the boy had died and was secretly buried near his in-laws’ residence in Kanchipuram. The body was exhumed in Anakamma’s presence, and Tirupati District Collector Venkateswar confirmed the boy had been taken to a hospital, reportedly for jaundice, though the secretive burial has raised suspicions about the circumstances of his death.
The accused face charges under multiple laws, including the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, the Juvenile Justice Act, the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, and relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
