11 Minors Travelling In Train Rescued At Tirupati Railway Station

The rescue is a result of specific inputs that children are being transported in Train No. 12644 Hazrat Nizamuddin-Thiruvananthapuram Central Express, with no family members accompanying them. Authorities halted the train on Platform No. 4 of Tirupati Railway Station and RPF and GRP teams inspected the general and sleeper coaches.

They found 11 children, all below 18 years of age, travelling without parents or guardians. A preliminary enquiry revealed that the minors are from Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar, going to Katpadi and Erode. On questioning, the children told officials that they are going on work, raising suspicions of organised trafficking.

Police then de-boarded the minors, along with four adults travelling with them. All the rescued children have been produced before the Child Welfare Committee, which directed that they be sent to the Boys Home at Mangalam in Tirupati for care and protection.

Based on the children’s statements, the four persons accompanying them – Ajay Kumar (23) from Supaul district in Bihar, Shivdesh (20) from Kaushambi district in Uttar Pradesh, Mahesh Prasad Kol (41) from Satna district in Madhya Pradesh, and Ritesh Kumar Singh (30) from Prayagraj district in Uttar Pradesh, have been detained as suspected agents.

Officials said the operation is part of Indian Railways’ Action Against Human Trafficking (AAHT) drive. It had been planned with senior officers of Guntakal division and Tirupati and Renigunta sections coordinating with each other.

Investigations are continuing to determine whether a larger child trafficking network is involved.