Katni (MP): As many as 163 minor boys, allegedly being trafficked from Bihar to Maharashtra to work as labourers, were rescued from an express train in Madhya Pradesh’s Katni district, railway police said on Sunday.

The rescue followed a tip-off received by the Child Welfare Committee, prompting a joint overnight operation by the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and the Government Railway Police (GRP). Eight persons travelling with the children were intercepted onboard the Patna-Purna Express at Katni railway station.

The accused, however, claimed that the children, aged between six and 13, were being taken to a madrasa in Latur for education.

According to preliminary findings, the children were being transported from Bihar’s Araria region to Latur in Maharashtra. RPF Katni inspector Virendra Singh said the lack of valid travel documents raised suspicion, leading to the rescue operation, which concluded early Sunday.

The GRP has registered a case against the eight accused under section 143(4) (trafficking of a child below the age of eighteen years) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Katni GRP station house officer LP Kashyap said the children and the accused belong to the Muslim community, adding that nearly 50 boys were found in a single sleeper coach.

“During questioning, they (the accused) have claimed that the children were being taken for education purposes to a madrasa in Latur. We have contacted some parents, who have also said that they have sent their wards for education,” the GRP officer said.

The accused also told investigators that they had previously taken children to madrasas, he added.

“We are investigating the case. The accused, who have been booked on the charges of trafficking, will be produced in court,” Kashyap said.

Child Protection Officer Manish Tiwari said authorities acted swiftly on the information, and the rescued children are currently undergoing counselling.

Officials have begun efforts to contact parents and verify the children’s identities, age and purpose of travel. Some of the children have been placed in care facilities in Katni, while others have been shifted to Jabalpur under child protection units.

The case is under investigation to ascertain whether the movement of the children was linked to trafficking or education-related arrangements.