BERHAMPUR: Berhampur police on Tuesday rescued nine children from an alleged begging racket and arrested five adults for reportedly forcing them to beg at major traffic junctions across the city.
The accused are Mani Sindhe (65), Ajaya Kajri Sindhe (30), Rani Sindhe (30), Puja Power (20) and Sita Power (40). They resided beneath the flyover near Platform 4 of Berhampur railway station under Gosani Nuagaon police limits, said Berhampur SP Saravana Vivek M.
The nine rescued children include three girls and six boys aged between four months and 12 years. They were staying near Goods Shed Road, near Platform 4.
The SP said verification of their identities is underway as they failed to produce valid identity documents. He said following a tip-off about a gang using minor children for begging, a special team was formed on Tuesday, led by SDPO (Town), comprising officers from the Town subdivision, the district child protection unit and the Child Welfare Committee (CWC).
The team kept surveillance at PVN Rao chowk and observed that the adults transported the children in an auto-rickshaw, dropped them near the traffic signal and stationed themselves at a distance while the children begged from commuters.
The police found that the adults allegedly forced the children to beg at major traffic points across the city and later collected the money from them.
During verification, the accused reportedly failed to produce Aadhaar cards, voter ID cards or any documents to establish their identity or their relationship with the rescued children.
Though they disclosed their names and addresses during interrogation, they could not provide proof.
The accused, who were conversant in Hindi, were forwarded to court on Wednesday, the SP said.Further investigation is on, he added.
The rescued juveniles were produced before the child welfare committee and have been sent to shelter homes.