14 children rescued from running train, trafficker held

Rourkela (Odisha): Fourteen tribal children, including 10 minor girls, from Jharkhand were rescued and an alleged trafficker was arrested while trying to take them by train to Tamil Nadu, railway police said on Wednesday. 

Acting on a tip-off, Rourkela Government Railway Police (GRP), with the help of Railway Protection Force, raided the Tata-Allepey Express when it arrived here on Tuesday night. 

The joint team rescued 14 children - four boys and 10 girls - from a general coach of the train, Inspector In-Charge of Rourkela GRP police station Simon Lakra. 

The railway policemen also arrested 53-year-old A Selva Raju who is from Tamil Nadu and works as a labour supply contractor, on the charge of trafficking the children. 

The accused had brought the children from Kareikela area West Singhbhum district in neighbouring Jharkhand. 

They were being taken to Tamil Nadu to be engaged in factories and houses, police said.