Passenger's tweet saves 26 minor girls from being trafficked
Thanks to a tweet by a passenger, 26 underage girls who were being trafficked via the Muzaffarpur-Bandra Awadh Express were rescued by the GRP and the RPF. The incident happened on July 5, when the good samaritan noticed 26 girls in his coach looking uncomfortable and crying. He tweeted about it, and within an half-an-hour, the authorities swung into action. Here are the details.
Details of the incident
A Railways spokesperson said that within half-an-hour of the tweet, authorities in Varanasi and Lucknow swung into action and started investigating the issue. The Government Railway Police (GRP) at Gorakhpur started coordinating with Childline, as well as with the anti-trafficking unit of the police. Meanwhile, two RPF jawans in plain clothes boarded the train at Kaptanganj, rescued the girls, and escorted them to Gorkahpur.
The girls are currently with the child welfare committee
"The girls were being taken from Narkatikyaganj to Idgah. When questioned, the girls were unable to answer anything convincingly, so they have been handed over to the child welfare committee," said the RPF in a statement.
The perpetrators - two men - are in custody now
The incident comes just days after Chairman Railway Board Ashwani Lohani launched an awareness campaign for protection of children coming in contact with the Railways. The girls rescued are believed to be between 10 and 14 years. They were being trafficked by two men, aged 22 and 55 years, and both have been taken into custody. Parents of the girls have been informed.
