Five Children Rescued, Two Arrested at Vizag Station

In a major rescue operation, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) saved five minor children from a child trafficking racket at Visakhapatnam Railway Station. Two women accused of forcing the children to beg on trains were arrested during the operation.

The rescue was carried out under Operation AAHT (Anti-Human Trafficking) by the RPF/CPDS Waltair team, led by Sub-Inspector V. Keerthi Reddy, who heads the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU). Based on credible intelligence, officers tracked suspicious activity on trains and within the station area before identifying two women moving with young children.

The accused, Sudha Kumari alias Shantha and Sukh Bai Dhadi, had allegedly trafficked the children from Math Village, Kharoara Mandal, Raipur District, Chhattisgarh. According to officials, they lured the children’s families with promises of money and jobs, then forced the minors to beg on trains, including the Janmabhoomi Express and Ratnachal Express, earning nearly Rs 2,000 a day from their exploitation.

The rescued children, aged between 8 and 14, were immediately given food, medical aid, and counselling. They were later presented before the Child Welfare Committee (CWC), which ordered that they be moved to government children’s homes for care and rehabilitation.

A case has been registered at GRP Visakhapatnam (Case No. 00(110)/25, dated 08.11.2025) under Section 143 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (Trafficking of Persons). The case has been transferred to the Kharoara Police Station in Raipur District, Chhattisgarh, for further investigation.

Officials said the operation underscores the RPF/Waltair Division’s ongoing efforts to fight human trafficking across railway routes. They urged passengers to stay alert and report any suspicious activity involving children to railway authorities or security helplines.