Palakkad: Women and children from Odisha and Jharkhand rescued from Dhanbad - Alappuzha Express on a tip-off received by Railway Protection Force (RPF) on suspected human and child trafficking are learnt to have come to Kerala several times before. Social justice department officials said from the conversations with a woman from Jharkhand in the group, who speaks Malayalam, and the girls, it is evident that the woman was working as an agent.
A person from Kochi, who visited the team of 31 at the government women rescue home in Palakkad, had told the officials that they had been brought to Kerala earlier. A medical test conducted on six minor girls from Odisha in the group had proved that they were victims of sexual abuse.
Police had taken into custody 36 passengers suspecting human trafficking last Thursday, and they included women, girls and a three-year-old boy. Child Welfare Committee Palakkad chair Fr Jose Paul told DC that nine children from Jharkhand would also undergo similar tests on Thursday and police would inquiry into the issue of sexual abuse.
