Railway Protection Force (RPF) in Jharkhand successfully rescued four minors from human trafficking attempts, highlighting ongoing efforts to combat child exploitation in the region.
RPF personnel have rescued four minors, including a girl from Odisha, and arrested a man hailing from Bihar's Lakhisarai in separate incidents in Jharkhand, officials said on Tuesday.
At Hatia railway station, Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel on Monday rescued three boys who were allegedly being trafficked by the accused, Arun Ram (38), to Tiruppur in Tamil Nadu on the pretext of providing employment, they said.
The man was nabbed during a checking drive after the arrival of the Alappuzha Express at Hatia railway station.
"We rescued three boys, who were being trafficked to Tiruppur in Tamil Nadu, during a routine check. Upon questioning, their answers were not found to be satisfactory. Due to the arousal of suspicion, all of them were deboarded from the train," the RPF said in a statement.
During interrogation, the accused said the minors were being taken to Tiruppur, on the pretext of providing jobs offering Rs 10,000 salary, it said.
RPF personnel seized a mobile phone, a general railway ticket, and other documents from his possession and handed him over to the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU), Kotwali, for further action. The three rescued minor children were entrusted to Balashray.
In another incident, a 13-year-old girl from Odisha was rescued by RPF at Ranchi station on Sunday.
The girl was seen sitting alone on platform number 2 of the station. The girl has been kept at a 'one-stop centre' after a written order issued by the Child Welfare Committee (CWC), Ranchi.