3 days ago
24 minor children rescued from train at Muzaffarpur station, 5 human traffickers held
Patna: A joint team of
Railway Protection Force
(RPF) and Govt Railway Police (GRP) rescued 24 minor children, mostly from Katihar district, from a general coach of the New Jalpaiguri–Amritsar Karmabhoomi Express (12407) at Muzaffarpur station on Wednesday evening.
According to Muzaffarpur RPF inspector Manish Kumar, the rescue was carried out under 'Operation Aahat', a national initiative launched by railways and aimed at combating human trafficking.
Acting on a tip-off, a joint team of the Muzaffarpur RPF and GRP launched a swift operation as the train arrived at the station late Wednesday evening, and arrested five suspected human traffickers accompanying the children.
They were identified as Bilas Kumar from Katihar, Avinash Hembram from West Bengal, Manoj Kewat from Katihar, Tanveer from Khagaria, and Manish from Samastipur.
The children were visibly distressed and appeared to be unaware of their destination. However, when interrogated, the accused said that these children were being taken to Ambala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, and Amritsar to work as labourers on monthly payments of Rs 10,000 to 12,000 each. The RPF inspector added that railway police were making all possible efforts to reunite the rescued children with their families with the help of an NGO.
After recording the statement of the rescued children by the RPF, the five accused were handed over to the Muzaffarpur GRP for further legal proceedings against them.
