Approximately 163 minor boys believed to be victims of trafficking from Bihar to Maharashtra were rescued from an express train in Katni district, Madhya Pradesh, as reported by officials on Sunday. The children, aged between six and 13, were being taken from Bihar to Latur for labor purposes when the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Government Railway Police (GRP) intervened based on information from the Child Welfare Committee. Eight individuals accompanying the boys without valid tickets or documents were intercepted during a joint operation by RPF and GRP on the Patna-Purna Express at Katni railway station.
The RPF Katni inspector, Virendra Singh, mentioned that the children were allegedly being transported from Araria in Bihar to Latur, Maharashtra. Following a tip-off about child trafficking, the lack of proper travel documents raised suspicions, leading to a successful rescue operation conducted overnight and concluded at dawn on Sunday. The GRP has filed a case under section 143(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita against the eight accused hailing from various districts of Bihar.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the boys were destined for labor work in Latur, with the GRP continuing to probe the matter. The Child Welfare Committee had received prior information about suspicious transportation of a significant number of children. Security personnel monitored the arrival of the express train on platform number 5, conducting searches in the coaches and securing the children. Child Protection Officer Manish Tiwari commended the swift response of authorities, noting that the rescued children were receiving counseling.
Efforts are underway to locate the parents of the children while verifying their age, identity, and travel purposes. Some of the children have been placed in Katni and others in Jabalpur under the supervision of child protection units.