21 tribal children rescued from Motihari railway station, 1 held

Motihari: In a joint operation, the GRP, RPF and Child Helpline rescued 21 tribal children, including five girls aged between five and nine years, from Motihari-Bapudham railway station in East Champaran on Saturday evening. The children are said to be residents of Jharkhand and Bhagalpur. Police are investigating the case from several angles. Officials suspect the matter could be linked to child trafficking or religious conversion.Police arrested Phoenix Kispota, a resident of Kanijadi village under Mahuajadi police station area in Ranchi district, in connection with the case.According to GRP sources, Phoenix had allegedly been living with the children in a rented house in the Chandmari locality of Motihari town for the past six months. Officials said he brought the children to the railway platform on Saturday evening to board a train. Acting on information, Child Helpline and RPF personnel launched a joint operation, rescued the children and took them into custody. Phoenix was also arrested during the operation.After preliminary questioning and completion of necessary formalities, the children were produced before the Child Welfare Judicial Committee (CWJC) following medical examinations on Sunday.Sheo Pujan Kumar, assistant project officer of Child Helpline, lodged an FIR with the local GRP on Sunday, seeking necessary action in the matter.RPF commandant Bharat Jaiswal, sub-inspector Ramesh Kumar and Child Helpline desk officer Sheo Pujan said neither the children nor the arrested man possessed any identity documents. Officials said they were also unable to provide a clear explanation about their stay in the rented accommodation in Motihari.