In a joint operation, Railway Protection Force (RPF), Women Development and Child Welfare (WD&CW) Department and the Government Railway Police (GRP), rescued 15 children allegedly being trafficked from Bihar to Karnataka.
On information provided by an NGO, Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA), that minor boys were being shifted by the Sangamitra Express train, officials and the Railway Childline swung into action and rescued the children in Vijayawada railway station in the early hours of July 6.
“We have taken in four persons, who were allegedly trafficking the children to Bangaluru. The victims were all natives of different places of Bihar,” said District Child Protection Officer (DCPO), Ch. Vijay Kumar of WD&CW Department.
BBA State Coordinator G. Tirupati Rao said the children were being taken as bonded labourers to work in the construction sector. The children were aged between 14 and 17 years, Mr. Rao said.
“The rescued children hail from poor families. Police are trying to find out the brokers in the racket,” said RPF CI Chandrashekar Reddy.
“Information has been sent to the parents of the rescued children. The children will be sent to Government General Hospital for medical examination,” said GRP Superintendent of Police Ch. Vijay Rao.
The GRP personnel seized some fake Aadhaar cards and mobile phones.
A case has been registered under Section 370 of the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act 1986, for child trafficking and investigation is on, said GRP CI Pala Srinivas.
“The children are in a temporary shelter in a Child Care Institution. They would be produced before the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) and reunited with their families,” said WD&CW Protection Officer Y. Johnson.
