LUCKNOW For the 12 boys rescued at Gonda railway station on Thursday, a journey their families may have imagined as a route out of poverty, could have ended in an uncertain and potentially dangerous future. The children, aged 12 to 16 and from Motihari in Bihar, were allegedly being taken to Pehowa in Haryana’s Kurukshetra district to work at a rice mill after their families were allegedly lured with promises of jobs and paid money in advance.
According to the Railway Protection Force (RPF), the families were allegedly persuaded to hand over the children in return for payments ranging from ₹2,500 to ₹12,000 per child. Officials said some families were allegedly paid ₹8,000 to ₹10,000 as advance before the children were taken away.
The boys were intercepted during a joint checking drive by the RPF, Crime Intelligence Branch and child rights organisations on Jan Nayak Express (15211). RPF sub-inspector Lal Sahab Singh said the team found the children in a general coach shortly after the train left Baruachak station (UP), where they appeared frightened. When the train reached Gonda around 6.15am, the children and two men accompanying them were taken off for questioning.
The two men were identified as Pramod Kumar, 19, and Vijay Shah, 27, both residents of Mehsi in Motihari. Officials said they were arrested for allegedly taking the children to Pehowa for work at a rice mill. The investigation also named contractors Anil and Mukesh, who allegedly sent the two men to transport the children.
{{/usCountry}}The two men were identified as Pramod Kumar, 19, and Vijay Shah, 27, both residents of Mehsi in Motihari. Officials said they were arrested for allegedly taking the children to Pehowa for work at a rice mill. The investigation also named contractors Anil and Mukesh, who allegedly sent the two men to transport the children.
{{/usCountry}}The episode highlights how poverty can make families vulnerable to contractors promising employment for their children. For parents struggling to make ends meet, the upfront payment may appear significant, but the arrangement can leave children exposed to exploitation far from home, with little clarity about their work or living conditions.
The fact that families were allegedly paid thousands of rupees for children who should otherwise be in school underscores both their economic vulnerability and the demand for cheap child labour.
The 12 children were handed over to Childline (Gonda) for care and protection around 12.45pm in the presence of representatives of Bachpan Bachao Andolan, Aparajita Social Committee and railway authorities. The process was videographed, officials said.
An FIR was registered at the anti-human trafficking police station in Gonda against Pramod Kumar, Vijay Shah, contractors Mukesh Shah and Anil Shah under Section 143(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Section 79 of the Juvenile Justice Act and Sections 3 and 14 of the Child and Adolescent Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act.
The children were produced before the Juvenile Justice Board in Gonda on Thursday. Following the board’s orders, the process of calling their families and handing the children back to them was underway.