Hyderabad: The Railway Protection Force (RPF) Secunderabad Division has intensified its campaign against human trafficking, rescuing 238 children and apprehending 69 traffickers so far in 2025.
This operation is part of the ongoing Action Against Human Trafficking (AAHT) initiative, conducted in collaboration with Anti-Human Trafficking Units (AHTU) and the NGO Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA).
RPF officials report that their teams have been conducting intensive checks across general, sleeper, and AC train coaches, identifying and rescuing child trafficking victims while tracking down and apprehending traffickers and their agents.
Most recent cases have involved children trafficked from Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh.
Under Operation AAHT, the RPF has implemented a comprehensive, multi-pronged strategy.
This includes deploying dedicated AHTU personnel, utilising CCTV surveillance, and running awareness campaigns at railway stations and on trains to combat trafficking.
The division’s efforts have shown a consistent increase in both rescues and arrests. In 2023, 305 children were rescued and 137 traffickers arrested.
In 2024, these numbers rose to 310 children rescued and 174 traffickers arrested—a 1.64 percent increase in rescues and a 27.01 percent rise in arrests over the previous year. In 2025, up to June, 238 children have already been rescued and 69 traffickers arrested.
Officials estimate that the number of rescued children could reach 400 by the end of the year.
All rescued children are produced before the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) through BBA for further inquiry and necessary legal proceedings.
Debashmita C Banerjee, Senior Divisional Security Commissioner, Secunderabad Division, emphasised the RPF’s mission to eradicate human trafficking from the railway network.
She credited the success to sustained vigilance, tactical planning, data-driven surveillance, and close cooperation with NGOs like BBA. RPF officials have urged passengers and citizens to stay alert and report any suspicious activity by dialing the national helpline number 139.
“Every alert call and watchful eye can help protect vulnerable children from falling prey to this heinous crime. We will continue to intensify tactical raids and coordinated operations to end human trafficking,” a senior RPF official stated.
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