Cuttack: The Railway Protection Force (RPF) rescued 59 minor boys from the Cuttack station in Odisha. The children caught the attention of RPF personnel as no adult was accompanying them.
According to sources, the non-Odia minors hail from Araria district in Bihar. They had boarded the Dhauli Express train, which connects Howrah in West Bengal to Puri. The children alighted at platform number 4 of Cuttack railway station late on Tuesday night. RPF sensed something amiss after spotting the big group of children travelling alone and held them.
Sources further said that one Maulana Mohammed Akhlaq of Raghunathpur tehsil in Jagatsinghpur district went to the RPF, demanding the children be handed over to them. He claimed that the children had left their homes, after being assured of religious studies, food and accommodation to be provided for free at his madrasa. However, he could not produce valid documents to support his claims.
A detailed investigation is underway and authorities are trying to contact the parents of these children. Till the probe concludes, the minors were handed over to members of the Child Welfare Committee (CWC).
Earlier, RPF had rescued 12 minors under ‘Operation Nanhe Farishte’ from the same platform on Saturday after they deboarded Amrut Bharat Express, travelling from New Jalpaiguri in West Bengal to Tiruchirappalli in Tamil Nadu. On questioning, the children had also stated that they are residents of Araria district in Bihar.
