Chennai: In two separate incidents over the past two days, railway protection force (RPF) personnel rescued three runaway girls and seized 8kg of ganja worth 4 lakhs at Chennai Egmore railway station on Tuesday.In view of the state elections, RPF officials at Chennai Egmore intensified surveillance and search operations to prevent the smuggling of contraband. On Tuesday, RPF officials led by Inspector K P Sebastian conducted routine checks at the railway station and noticed three girls wandering without adult supervision.They were rescued and upon enquiry, it was found that they were from Namakkal and Tiruvannamalai districts and had left their homes in search of employment without their parents’ knowledge. They were handed over to the railway child helpline operating at Chennai Egmore railway station. They were produced before the Child Welfare Committee, and measures for their safety and rehabilitation are being undertaken.In another incident, RPF officers at Egmore and narcotics intelligence unit (NIU) found four abandoned packets of ganja weighing a total of 4kg in an unclaimed bag onboard the Howrah-Kanyakumari Express (train number 12665). An investigation is underway to identify the individuals involved.In another joint operation carried out on Wednesday morning on the station premises, officers intercepted a man identified as Mohamed Sahib, 24, a native of Malappuram in Kerala. Four kilograms of ganja in four packets, valued at 2 lakh, were found inside his bag.The arrested individual and the seized ganja were handed over to the NIU, Chennai, for further legal action. He has been remanded in judicial custody.
