Railway Protection Force (RPF) on Monday rescued sixteen teenagers from the Gonda railway station as they were being taken to Bihar on the pretext of training in an online marketing company.
According to police, during patrolling at the railway station, a man and a woman were seen with 16 children aged between 14 and 17 years.
Railway Protection Force (RPF) Sub inspector and Anti Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) In-charge Surendra Kumar said when inquired, the duo could not give a satisfactory response and later fled from the spot.
The children were handed over to the Childline, he added.
A woman from Deoria was taking them to Bihar on the pretext of providing them training in an online marketing company, said Childline coordinator Ashish Mishra.
The children were from rural areas of the district, and their parents had given their consent for taking their children for the training, following which they thought they could get a job, he said.
The parents were also paid Rs 1300 each for the training, he said, adding that the consent letter given by parents is not valid as they are minors and making them work is illegal, Mishra said.
The children will be handed over to their parents after being produced in the juvenile justice board, he added.
(With PTI inputs)
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