Jamshedpur. The Railway Protection Force (RPF) achieved a major success against human trafficking at Tatanagar railway station and freed seven minor children from the clutches of traffickers. On Saturday, based on secret information, the RPF flying squad team conducted a search operation in D-1 and D-2 coaches when 22861 Ispat Express reached Tatanagar. During the investigation, seven minor boys traveling with some adults appeared suspicious. During interrogation, the children could neither clearly state the purpose of their journey nor the name of the destination, although they identified the adults traveling with them.
During interrogation, it was revealed that all the minor children were being taken to Sambalpur in Odisha for the purpose of work. The age of these children is between 13 and 17 years. The traffickers also tried to spread confusion during interrogation, but the RPF showed alertness and arrested them. The arrested traffickers have been identified as three residents of West Bengal – Malda resident Raspan Gani (33 years), East Medinipur resident Sheikh Bashiruddin (27 years) and Masrul Alam (21 years). During interrogation, all three admitted that they were labour supply agents.
The RPF has recovered three mobile phones, Rs 1300 in cash and a total of Rs 61,300 from the traffickers. Under Operation Anti Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU), the three accused were handed over to Tatanagar Railway Police, while the minor children were handed over to Childline for protection and care. The RPF has said that activities like human trafficking will be strictly monitored at the railway station and further investigation is underway.
