West Bengal police rescue 25 Manipur children

Iboyaima Laithangbam

IMPHAL: The West Bengal police on Thursday rescued 25 children from Manipur and arrested three persons, who allegedly had lured them with the promise of school admission at Tadepalligudem in Andhra Pradesh.

The children, who had been starving since June 15, were fed by the police and lodged in a children’s home.

On a tip-off, a police team led by Deputy Commissioner Javed Salim intercepted them at the Howrah railway station.

‘No documents’ The police said A. Athiko, A. Loli and Daniel Mao, all from Senapati district in Manipur, who claimed they were pastors, could not produce any document in support of their claim that they were taking the children for admitting them to good schools.

The children are from Kaibi village in the same district.

In the past, several teenage girls were rescued even as they were being taken to some southern States.

Several other girls had been taken to foreign countries.

At least three of them escaped from their exploiters. They said they were forced to drudge like slaves without any payment.