Railway Protection Force has launched a nationwide operation – “Operation AAHT”, to curb human trafficking. As part of “Operation AAHT”, special teams will be deployed on all long-distance trains/routes with focus on rescuing victims, particularly women and children, from the clutches of traffickers.
The Railways, which operate about 21,000 trains across the country daily, is the most reliable mode of transportation for the traffickers who often moved their victims on long-distance trains.
The RPF rescued more than more than 2,000 women and children between 2017-21 from the clutches of traffickers. The National Crime Records Bureau registers about 2,200 cases of Human Trafficking cases on an average each year.
Thousands of Indians and persons from neighbouring countries were trafficked every day to some destinations where they were forced to live like slaves. They are also trafficked for illegal adoptions, organ transplants, working in circus, begging and entertainment industry.
As part of “Operation AAHT”, the infrastructure and intelligence network of the force could be utilised to collect, collate and analyse clues on victims, source, route, destination, popular trains used by suspects, identity of carriers/agents, kingpins etc and shared with other law-enforcing agencies. The RPF could act as a bridge cutting across States to assist the local police in the mission to curb the menace.