Rourkela: Acting on a tip-off, the government railway police (GRP) and Childline officials rescued as many as 10 minor girls from a train at the railway station here Tuesday evening while they were being trafficked to Tamil Nadu.
A middleman from Tamil Nadu identified as Selveraj was also arrested, according to reports.
A case was registered and the man was produced before a court.
All the ten rescued girls hail from Chakradharpur (CKP) area under West Singbhum district in neighbouring Jharkhand.
According to the police, the man was taking the girls in an AC coach by the Tata-Alleppey Express Train from Chakradharpur.
As the girls appeared to be poor tribals but were all travelling in an AC coach, a Railway Police Force (RPF) jawan smelt a rat and informed the GRP at Rourkela even though they had valid tickets and Aadhaar cards.
After getting information, the GRP personnel and Childline officials raided the AC coach after the train arrived at Rourkela station Tuesday evening.
During inquiry, the Aadhaar cards were found to be fake.
The nabbed middleman has confessed that he has been into this job since long and a number of girls from that area have already been taken to Tamil Nadu by him earlier.
Even the rescued girls during interrogation also admitted that other girls from their area usually go like this to Tamil Nadu with the consent of their parents.
However, it was alleged that the poor tribal girls are lured into jobs in lieu of measly wages for which brokers like Selveraj allegedly sell them in the metropolitan cities of south India and even abroad.