Eastern Railway’s Railway Protection Force (RPF) rescued 13 children from human traffickers from 1 November. According to the ER, a new trend of young children from economically disadvantaged families being lured into the dark world of human trafficking through social media has emerged in recent times. The ER’s RPF has been on high alert, identifying an alarming number of minors traveling alone.
In the most recent operation, a young girl named Munmun Ghosh (name changed) bravely confessed that she had been tricked into believing she was being taken to Mumbai under the false promise of a better life. During questioning, the RPF team discovered she hailed from the Maslandapur (place changed) area, and their investigation led to the rescue of five other women. Disturbingly, the traffickers, realising their cover had been blown, attempted to flee, but they were swiftly apprehended. A case has been registered against the three traffickers under Sections 143 (iv) (v)/144/111 BNS, along with Sections 75/79 of the Juvenile Justice Act and Section 14 of the Child Labour (Prohibition) Act.