A ticket inspector rescued an eight-year-old girl, who was travelling alone, from Howrah-Jabalpur Shaktipunj Express on Thursday night at daltonganj Railway Station.

Revealing the details of the incident on Saturday, Daltonganj station superintendent A.K. Tiwari said, “One train ticket inspector (TTI) Shilanand Ekka had spotted this lone girl child travelling in S6 coach of the Up Howrah-Jabalpur Shaktipunj express train on the night of December 17. The TTI alerted the Commercial Control Room of Dhanbad.”

Tiwari added that he was alerted by the Commercial Control Room, Dhanbad, about the incident. “I alerted the RPF and GRP here in Daltonganj immediately and also contacted the Childline India Foundation at 1098. Things began to move faster after then,” he said.

Tiwari said that two members of the Child Working Committee reached the Daltonganj station where the train had arrived at around midnight and brought the girl down from the train to take her into safe custody.

The station superintendent said that all this rescue work was done within a two-minute window as the Shaktipunj Express does not stop for more time at the Daltonganj station.

According to sources, the girl had boarded the train at Patratu railway station. However, there is no proof if anyone was trafficking her.

Nobody on the coach could answer TTI Ekka’s question if she was brought by someone on the train, and neither did anyone claim her.

The girl, who perhaps belongs to a nomadic tribe ‘khanabadosh’, is under observation at a Daltonganj rescue home, and efforts are on to look for her parents.

Tiwari said that the child looked lost and blank, and had poor clothing. He added that he could not say if she was under any shock. The superintendent, however, praised Ekka for his efforts.