Children flee from activist’s clutches

BNAGALORE: Five child labourers working at a petrol bunk allegedly ran away after they were ‘rescued’ by a man posing as human rights activist. Thanks to the negligence and lack of knowledge o

BNAGALORE: Five child labourers working at a petrol bunk allegedly ran away after they were ‘rescued’ by a man posing as human rights activist. Thanks to the negligence and lack of knowledge of the police about Juvenile Justice Law. On Saturday, one M T Girish Gowda, who claimed to be the district president of an NGO named National Human Rights Service, called a few reporters and informed that he had information that five children were working at a petrol bunk in Byadarahalli on Magadi Road and he was going to rescue them.

However, by the time the reporters reached, he said that the ‘rescue operation’ was over and informed that the rescued children had escaped. Though the Tavarekere police went to the spot, even they failed to take the rescued children under their custody.

Regional TV channels telecast the visuals of Gowda briefing the reporters about the rescue operation.

Surprisingly, the rescued children were standing next to him. Also, Gowda did not even know the names of the rescued children he had claimed to rescue.

Sources in Tavarekere police station said that Gowda, after the TV crews left, took the boys behind the petrol bunk and when he returned the boys were not with him. “He just said that the boys had ran away. We were shocked to hear that and did not know what to do. Even the higher-ups did not think more about it. It is suspected that he managed to strike a deal with the petrol bunk owner and spoke to TV reporters to gain publicity,” the source said.

However, senior police officers said that an enquiry was being conducted into the issue. But, the whereabouts of the rescued children are still not known to the police.

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