163 boys rescued MP: The authorities in Madhya Pradesh on Sunday claimed to have rescued as many as 163 minor boys from an express train in the state’s Katni district over suspicion of child trafficking, officials said. According to officials, the rescue operation was spearheaded by a joint team comprising personnel from the Government Railway Police (GRP) and the Railway Protection Force (RPF).
Notably, the cops had received a tip-off from the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) regarding the suspicious movement of a large group of children, after which they carried out the operation.
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Representative image[/caption]
Overnight operation conducted on Patna-Purna express
On receipt of the information, the cops intercepted the Patna-Purna express at the Katni Railway Station on the intervening night of Saturday-Sunday. They found 8 persons accompanying the children, and detained them, after learning that they were travelling without valid tickets or documentation. RPF Inspector Virendra Singh said that boys aged between six and 13 were allegedly being transported from Bihar’s Araria region to Maharashtra’s Latur. He added that the operation continued through the night and came to a halt in the early hours of Sunday.
163 boys rescued MP: Case registered under BNS Section 143(4)
Officials aware of the development told the media that a case has been registered against the eight accused under Section 143(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which pertains to the trafficking of minors. All eight accused, native residents of different districts of Bihar, have been arrested and shall be produced in court.
As per a preliminary probe, it came to light that the boys were being taken for labour purposes. However, the accused have denied the allegations, claiming the boys were en route to a madrasa in Latur for education purposes. The authorities contacted the parents of some boys, who supported the claim.
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A still from the rescue operation[/caption]
Children found travelling in sleeper-class coaches
Officials continued by saying that the children were found to be travelling in overcrowded sleeper-class compartments, with nearly 50 boys packed into a single coach, raising suspicions further. Following the rescue, the children have been placed under the care of child protection units in Katni and Jabalpur.
Child Protection Officer Maish Tiwari said that counselling sessions are underway, while efforts are on to verify the identities of the children, as well as their ages and intent behind the travel. Authorities are also reaching out to the families of the boys to ascertain the circumstances under which the minors were sent away.
Officials are meanwhile probing both trafficking and potential misuse of trust under the guise of education, as well as other aspects of the case.
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