BENGALURU: As many as 12 minor children, who were trafficked into the city from Jharkhand to be pushed into child labour, were rescued by two alert cops of the Railway Protection Force (RPF) on January 10. Eleven of those rescued were girls aged between 14 and 15 years while one was a minor boy aged 17.
A railway source said two individuals -- Bamana Pahadiya and Maisa Pahadiya -- convinced the victims that they will get jobs with a good salary in Bengaluru and board a train at Howrah railway station on January 8. “They were instructed to buy individual tickets and alight at KR Puram station and then take a passenger train to KSR station. They did as advised,” the source said.
According to an official release, Assistant Sub-Inspector V Bhagyalakshmi and constable Navya K L of the RPF Post in Bengaluru noticed the minors sitting suspiciously near the portico at the front side of the KSR station around 10.30 am. “On being asked by the RPF cops, they did not give any satisfactory answer. They also did not know each other,” said the release.
They were handed over to the Railway Child Line unit at KSR station and produced before the Child Welfare Committee (CWC). As per the CWC order, 11 minor girls were admitted to the Government Girls Home while the boy was admitted to Bosco Child Shelter home for counselling and assistance.
The adults were handed over to the Government Railway Police who have registered a non-cognisable complaint against the duo for indulging in trafficking of children for labour.