10 children saved from being trafficked, two arrested

Amitava Banerjee | MP |  3 Aug 2018 | Darjeeling: Ten children were rescued from New Jalpaiguri Railway station from being allegedly trafficked to Rajasthan. Four persons arrested in connection with this racket were produced before the Chief Judicial Magistrate Court in Jalpaiguri on Friday and have remanded to judicial custody. 

"We had received information from Shashastra Seema Bal and accordingly launched a joint operation with the help of Government Railway Police and Railway Protection Force at the NJP Railway station. The Brahmaputra Express was thoroughly searched. The joint operation resulted in the rescue of 10 boys," stated Ashim Rai, regional Manager, Tiny Hands, India (working in the anti-Human Trafficking arena). The incident had occurred on Thursday.

"The boys were from Jalpaiguri and neighbouring Assam. They were being trafficked to Jaipur and Rajasthan to work in a Saree factory as embroiders," added Rai. 

Chanchal Das and his wife Deepa Das of Malda along with Dipak Das and his wife Chandana Das from Jalpaiguri were arrested in connection with this incident. They have been booked under Section 370 (exploitation) of the Indian Penal Code along with Immoral Trafficking Prevention Act.

Four of the rescued boys aged 18 years and above were handed over to their respective families and the remaining 6 were sent to a Home in Jalpaiguri. 

Tiny Hands India has been operating in Siliguri, Panitanki on the Indo-Nepal border, Jaigaon on the Indo-Bhutan border and Alipurduar since 2016. They have intercepted 585 vulnerable persons or victims since inception.