Three ‘runaway’ boys were rescued by the Railway Protection Force (RPF) staff in Mysuru on Sunday.
The three boys, aged 14, 12 and 10 years were found loitering on the platform in Mysuru City Railway station on Sunday when the RPF staff spotted them.
Upon questioning, the boys initially said that they had come to the railway station to receive their father, who was arriving by train from Bengaluru.
The RPF staff, who suspected them to be runaways, asked them to share the mobile number of their parents. The boys were reluctant to share the mobile number of their parents or any of their relatives. “Finally, the youngest one, who is aged around 10 years, revealed the mobile number of their father,” an official said.
Inquiries revealed that the boys, comprising two brothers and a neighbour, were residents of Mysuru City.
The RPF later handed over the boys to Childline in Mysuru, who in turn produced them before the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) of Mysuru district. The boys were later reunited with their parents.
Meanwhile, the parents, who appeared before the CWC on Monday, said the boys were not missing. Only, they (boys) were asking their parents to take them out to places like the Railway Museum and other places to play. “When the parents did not take them out, the boys have gone out on their own,” said Mr. Dhananjaya, a CWC member.
While handing over the boys, the CWC had instructed the parents to take care of their children, he said.
The RPF officials said they had been rescuing children as part of “Nanhe Farishte”, a Child Rescue Programme and campaign against human trafficking.
