The Special Juvenile Police Unit (SJPU) of the Mumbai Crime Branch rescued 21 children from the clutches of human traffickers on Saturday. The children, who were brought to Mumbai from Bihar and Nepal, were rescued in a joint operation by the police, and a non-government organisation (NGO).

A police source said the boys (aged between 13 and 15), were brought in a general compartment of the Karmabhoomi Express, which they boarded at Raxaul railway station in Bihar. "Some were seen seated on the floor under the washbasin, while some were seated outside the washrooms. All the children were terrified," the source said.