Ranchi, March 27 : A total of twenty-five children from Jharkhand, trafficked to Delhi and nearby areas for illegal labour, have been rescued. Most of them are girls.

A team from the Integrated Rehabilitation cum Resource Centre of Jharkhand's Women and Child Development Department, working in Delhi, carried out the rescue operation with the help of Delhi Police and voluntary organisations.

The children, aged between 12 and 17 years, are now being brought back to Jharkhand.

The rescue was conducted on the instructions of Jharkhand Bhawan Resident Commissioner Arwa Rajkamal.

According to Nachiketa, Nodal Officer of the rehabilitation centre in Delhi, the breakthrough came after Sahibganj police arrested two human traffickers -- Poonam Marandi and Ishwar Turi -- earlier this month while they were taking three children from Sahibganj to Delhi. Their interrogation revealed that many children from Jharkhand had been trafficked to the National Capital Region (NCR).

Based on their disclosures, Rahul Singh and Nirmala Khalkho, working with the rehabilitation centre, rescued 25 children from various locations in NCR with the support of Delhi Police and voluntary groups. The rescued children hail from Sahibganj, Godda, and Khunti districts of Jharkhand.

A team led by Khunti CDPO (District Child Protection Officer) Altaf Khan and Sahibganj CDPO Poonam Kumari is escorting the rescued children back to Jharkhand. They will undergo counselling, and their home addresses will be verified before they are reunited with their families.

On the directions of Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, Women and Child Development Secretary Manoj Kumar and Director Kiran Kumari Pasi have instructed District Social Welfare Officers in the three districts to ensure the children's proper rehabilitation under government welfare schemes.

Authorities have urged citizens to report any information on human trafficking through the toll-free helpline 10582 of the Integrated Rehabilitation cum Resource Centre.

/IANS