The plan was to make them work as laborers in a Tamil Nadu thread factory; the RPF apprehended them before they could board the Tatanagar-Ernakulam Express.
Jamshedpur: The Railway Protection Force (RPF) has achieved a major success in its campaign against human trafficking in Jharkhand. The RPF, acting swiftly at Jamshedpur’s Tatanagar railway station, rescued 13 tribal minors from the clutches of human traffickers. Officials announced on Monday that the rescued children, including 12 girls and one boy, were being taken to Tamil Nadu under the pretext of providing them jobs.
They were planning to go to Coimbatore.
Tatanagar RPF in-charge Rakesh Mohan stated that the action was based on a strong intelligence report. Senior Divisional Security Commissioner P. Shankar Kutti of the Chakradharpur Division of the South Eastern Railway had provided a tip in this regard. Upon receiving information, the Flying Squad of the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) increased surveillance at the station.
An RPF officer said, “These children were rescued from Tatanagar station on Sunday while they were waiting to board the Tatanagar-Ernakulam Express. During interrogation, the minors revealed that they were being taken to work at a yarn manufacturing unit in Salem, Tamil Nadu.”
Two brothers arrested
Taking action in this case, police arrested two alleged human traffickers. The accused have been identified as Sunil Tatonba and Jampira Tatonba. These two accused are real brothers and residents of Amdiha Panchayat, which falls under the Hatgamharia police station area of West Singhbhum district.
On Monday, the RPF handed over all the rescued children and the two arrested accused to the Tatanagar Government Railway Police (GRP) for further legal action.
All the children are residents of West Singhbhum.
Tatanagar GRP in-charge Jitram Oraon confirmed the case and said that all the rescued minors are between 15 and 17 years old. They are residents of different villages in the Hatgamharia block of West Singhbhum district, Jharkhand.
Giving details about the further process, the GRP in-charge said, “All 13 minors have been handed over to the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) in Jamshedpur for care and protection. Before being released to their families in Hatgamharia, these children will be produced in the Jamshedpur Civil Court to record their statements.”
Accused Sent to Jail
Sunil and Jampira Tatonba, two brothers arrested on charges of trafficking minors, were produced in court, from where they were sent to Ghaghidih Central Jail in judicial custody. This prompt action by the administration saved the children from a bleak future.
Rajan Chaudhary
Courtesy: Hindi News