Women and Child Development department rescues six minors from begging at Thane railway station

The children were rescued. Representational Pic

Authorities from the Women and Child Development Department rescued six minors who were found begging at a railway station in Maharashtra's Thane district, officials said on Wednesday, PTI reported.

Rescue operation at Mira Road station

Acting on a complaint, officials conducted an inspection and found four boys and two girls, in the age group of 6 to 10 years, engaged in begging at the Mira Road railway station on Monday, they said.

The children were subsequently rescued.

Department reiterates anti-begging drive

The department reiterated its commitment to the "child beggar-free campaign" across the district, stressing that forcing or encouraging children to beg is a criminal offence, PTI reported.

Three minor girls missing from Kalyan; police intensify search

In another similar incident, Police launched a search after two minor sisters and their 13-year-old niece went missing from their home in Thane district, officials said.

The sisters, aged 13 and 14, along with their niece, are residents of Barave village in Kalyan, an official from the Khadakpada police station said.

When efforts to trace the girls failed, their family approached the police and filed a complaint. Acting on a tip-off, a police team has been dispatched to Lucknow to locate them.

A case was registered under Section 137 (kidnapping) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

19-year-old accused of sexually exploiting 180 minor girls in Amravati; cops widen probe

In another incident in April, a 19-year-old teenager was arrested in Amravati district of Maharashtra for allegedly sexually exploiting at least 180 minor girls and recording hundreds of obscene videos, police said.

The accused, Mohammad Ayan, a resident of Paratwada in Amravati, was remanded to police custody, officials said, adding that a detailed probe has been launched into the entire case.

Investigators said the accused allegedly targeted minor girls through a so-called 'love trap', luring them via social media platforms.

He is accused of taking victims to cities including Mumbai and Pune, where objectionable videos were allegedly recorded.

Police said that these videos were then allegedly used to blackmail victims and force them into sexual crimes. Some of the content is also suspected to have been circulated online, and a probe was underway to identify the origin of it.

(With PTI reports)