Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel in Bangarpet, Kolar district, rescued 10 children from Bihar who were brought by an unknown person on the pretext of admitting them to a madrassa in Malur taluk for higher studies.
Around 11.30am Wednesday, the anti-human trafficking unit attached to RPF was checking the compartments of Kaziranga Express that runs between Guwahati and Bengaluru. RPF head constable Satish Kumar spotted 10 children in the age group of 10-15 years in a compartment without any adults accompanying them. Satish asked the kids who they were and where their guardian was. The children said they had come all the way from Bihar’s Araria district and were going to Malur to pursue higher studies in a madrassa. They told Satish the person who brought them had gone to buy tickets to Malur.
Smelling something fishy, Satish brought all the kids to the platform where RPF inspector Suresh questioned them. The children told the officer that the person who brought them had promised they could continue their higher education, including engineering and medical courses, at the madrassa. But when no one turned up to pick up the children, Suresh, after consultation with members of District Child Protection unit, handed them over to Children Welfare Committee in KGF where they have been provided shelter.
Suresh said the railway authorities are trying to locate the person who brought the children from Bihar.
Nagarathna, District Child Protection Officer, Kolar, who is also in charge of CWC, KGF, said the children were produced before the committee Thursday. However, they couldn’t provide information because they were new to the environment and faced language issues.
Details about the children have been sent to Children Welfare Committees in Bihar and Assam and once they respond, steps will be taken to send them back to their respective places.