Two minor boys, allegedly illegally detained and tortured by RPF personnel for seven days, were rescued in Odisha, an official said Wednesday.
Bikash, 14, and Loknath, 12, were rescued from the Railway Protection Force (RPF) police station at Cuttack, 26 km from here, by the child protection officials Tuesday.
The alleged confinement and torture came to light after some local media persons reached the RPF police station following the information provided by the victims' families, and the media persons informed the administration.
Both the boys, residents of a city slum, told the officials that they were kept in the RPF lockup since Dec 31.
"They alleged that the RPF personnel were torturing them physically and mentally," Pragati Mohanty from the district child protection office told IANS.
"We also found some injury marks on their bodies", she said.
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As per the law, no one could be arrested without a complaint and an arrested person must be presented before a court within 24 hours of his or her being taken into custody.
The RPF officials said they detained the boys for stealing mobile phones and other items from the trains, but they failed to show any complaint lodged against the boys, Mohanty said.
They did not even hand over the boys to Government Railway Police Force for any investigation, she said.
"The boys were rescued and sent back to their respective homes. Further investigation was on," Cuttack District Collector S.N. Girish told IANS.