Bengaluru: The Railway Protection Force (RPF) rescued 20 trafficked children, including three girls, under operation ‘Nanhe Farishte’ from various stations in the city, an official said on Tuesday.
“The children were rescued from traffickers from railway stations Krantiveera Sangoli Rayanna, Yelahanka, and Yesvantpur in the city under the operation over the last 7 days,” RPF Sub-Inspector P. Anusha said in a statement here.
The rescued hail from Assam, Bihar, Rajasthan, and West Bengal.
“The children were trafficked for forced labour,” said Anusha.
The RPF arrested 2 of the traffickers and investigation is underway to nab their co-accused.
In a related development, RPF’s women squad ‘Chennama’ of the South Western Railway (SWR) zone seized illicit liquor bottles from the Bengaluru-Bhubaneshwar Prashanti Express on Monday.
“The liquor bottles, valued at Rs. 1,10,930, were found in 4 bags in suspicious condition in a general coach,” said the RPF in a separate statement.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the liquor was being transported illegally by a passenger who claimed that the contraband belonged to him.
“As the passenger did not have a receipt or document in support of his claim, the liquor was seized and handed over to the state excise authority for legal action,” added the statement.
