SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, July 18: The Child Welfare Committee (CWC) Dhanbad, in a late-night operation on Thursday, rescued five minors belonging to the minority community from the Godda-Ranchi Intercity Express at Dhanbad railway station. The rescue took place around 12:15 am from coach S-4 of the train.
CWC Chairman Uttam Mukherjee informed that the minors claimed they were travelling from Banka district in Bihar to Habiba Madarsa in Rourkela, Odisha, for educational purposes. However, they were unaccompanied by any guardian and failed to produce any valid documents confirming their admission or destination.
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Children Shifted to Safe Shelter in Bokaro
Following their rescue, the minors were medically examined and referred to Sahyog Village, a child shelter home in Bokaro, for safe accommodation. The children’s guardians have been informed, and further investigation into their destination and travel arrangements is underway.
Mukherjee stated that a probe has been initiated into Habiba Madarsa in Rourkela, where the children claimed they were headed. “At present, the rescued children are under safe custody, and we are coordinating with officials for further action,” he added.
Alert by NGO Led to Timely Intervention
The operation was initiated after Shankar Rawani of Jharkhand Gramin Vikas Trust received information regarding possible child trafficking. He promptly alerted the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and the Child Line team at Dhanbad railway station.
Acting on the tip-off, members of the Child Line team, RPF, and Government Railway Police (GRP) conducted a coordinated raid and successfully rescued the children. A total of seven children were found in the coach, but two were identified as adults and were therefore not taken into custody.
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Rescue Team Involved Multiple Agencies
The rescue operation was conducted by a joint team comprising CWC members Mamta Arora, Sandhya Sinha, and Nitu Sinha, along with District Child Protection Unit (DCPU) officials Madan Mohan Mahtha and Rupesh Kumar.
Child Line team members Vikash Kumar, Nitesh Kumar, Puja, Nikhil Mandal, Aditya, and Para Legal Volunteers (PLVs) Aditi and Sita Kumari also played a key role in the operation.
Further investigation is ongoing to determine whether this was a case of organized child trafficking and to ensure the children’s protection and legal support moving forward.
