Child Trafficking Attempt Foiled: 21 Kids Rescued from Katihar-Mumbai Train
New Delhi : On a crowded morning at Katihar Railway Station, the Katihar-Mumbai Central train was preparing for departure. Among the passengers was a group of 21 children accompanied by six adults. Unlike others on the platform, no family members were there to see these children off — a detail that initially raised no suspicion. However, over 1,400 kilometers away in Vidisha, Madhya Pradesh, the Vidisha Social Welfare Organization (VSWO), a member of the national child rights network Just Rights for Children (JRC), had received a tip-off about a trafficking gang transporting children on that very train. Acting swiftly, VSWO informed the Railway Protection Force (RPF), and a joint operation was conducted around 4 AM on July 16. All 21 children were rescued, and the six traffickers arrested. The children — aged between 11 and 16 — were from Bihar’s Seemanchal region, including Katihar, Kishanganj, and Purnia districts.
They were being taken to Mumbai and Surat to work in home-based embroidery and tailoring units. Shockingly, some 14-year-olds revealed they had already been working in these cities for over three years. Traffickers, mostly locals from the children’s villages, lured families with promises of jobs and good pay. Once relocated, the children worked long hours with little to no rest or wages, often sleeping at the worksite.
Following the rescue, the traffickers were booked under relevant laws, and the children were presented before the Child Welfare Committee (CWC). They were then sent to a shelter home, and their families were informed. The children will be reunited with their parents after verification. VSWO Director Ram Raghuvanshi emphasized the growing threat of organized child trafficking and called for increased vigilance, especially in source and destination areas. “Our laws are strong, but there’s a lack of awareness and enforcement. There must be zero tolerance for those profiting from a child’s suffering,” he said.