In a major intervention, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) rescued 59 minors from the Howrah-Puri Dhauli Express at Cuttack station late Tuesday night. The children, all from Bihar’s Araria district, were detained after officials noticed their suspicious movement.
While a local cleric claimed the minors were brought for madrasa education in Jagatsinghpur, none possessed valid identity documents. Consequently, the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) has taken custody of the children to investigate potential trafficking angles.
This incident follows a similar rescue of 12 minors last Saturday under ‘Operation Nanhe Farishte’. In that case, children were lured from Bihar with promises of free education and board, only to be abandoned at the station.
Quick Facts:
Total Rescued: 59 on Tuesday; 12 on Saturday.
Origin: Araria, Bihar.
Action: Handed over to CWC for verification and safety.
Authorities are now probing the deeper network behind these mass movements of undocumented minors into Odisha.