RANCHI: Thirteen children, including a girl, were rescued from a train in Jharkhand while they were being allegedly trafficked to Goa, officials said on Tuesday.
Acting on intelligence inputs on Monday evening that some children were being trafficked through the Vasco da Gama (VSG) Weekly Express, RPF personnel boarded the train at Muri station, they said.
"The personnel kept an eye on the children till the train reached the Ranchi station, where they were rescued. The children were aged between 12 and 17, and most of them had boarded the train at the Jasidih Junction," an RPF officer said.
"When we questioned them about where they were going and who was with them, they didn't answer properly. They were unaware of why they were going to Goa. They only said that they had to arrive in Goa, where they would get some work," he said.
The children were subsequently handed to officials of the Child Line, he said.
A case was lodged with the GRP Ranchi regarding this, he added.
In another operation on Sunday, three tribal boys were rescued at the Ranchi station while they were being trafficked to Agartala, officials said.
The boys, who belonged to the Asur tribe, were being sent to Agartala to work at a mill, they said.
The accused in the case, identified as Jagatpal Oraon, was arrested on Monday.
He told the police that he was given Rs 5,000 to bring the children from Gumla to Ranchi.