: Fifteen minor girls from different parts of Odisha, who were being trafficked outside the State, were rescued by Childline at Berhampur railway station on Wednesday afternoon.
Five persons including four women, who were allegedly transporting these girls, were rounded up. They are being interrogated by the railway police.
Six of the rescued girls hail from Dhenkanal district. They were being taken outside Odisha by two middlemen including a woman. Four minor girls from Cuttack district were being taken outside Odisha by another woman.
The 10 girls were rescued from Tirupati-Puri Express train. Five other minor girls from Kandhamal district, who were brought to Berhampur railway station by two female agents to board the same train, were also rescued.
According to Sudhir Sabat, director of Berhampur Childline, it was being ascertained whether all these groups were part of a single racket or not. “Initial investigation has proved that all the minor girls were being transported to Bhimavaram and Samalkot in Andhra Pradesh with the promise of employment and better wages”.
The middlemen were transporting them in a clandestine manner and they did not have any clear documents regarding employment of these girls.
