RPF rescues 2 minor girls at Ahmedabad station, 2 held under Operation Seva
Synopsis
Two minor girls allegedly lured through social media and gaming apps and transported toward Bengaluru were rescued at Ahmedabad Railway Station on 14 August after RPF personnel used deleted mobile data and live location tracking to intercept both accused mid-journey — a case that underscores the growing role of digital forensics in railway child-protection operations.
Key Takeaways
RPF Ahmedabad rescued two minor girls at Ahmedabad Railway Station on 14 August under Operation Seva .
The girls were allegedly abducted from Jodhpur and were being transported to Bengaluru on Train No.
20693 , the Jodhpur-KSR Bengaluru Express.
Accused Aaqib Ansari (24) and Syed Ibrahim , both of Bengaluru , were arrested; a fake e-Aadhaar card was recovered from their phones.
Deleted data restored from a recovered mobile phone led investigators to the second accused's live location.
Both accused and the girls were handed over to GRP Ahmedabad for transfer to Jodhpur Police for further legal action.
The Railway Protection Force (RPF), Ahmedabad Division, on Friday, 14 August rescued two minor girls allegedly abducted from Jodhpur and arrested two men suspected of transporting them to Bengaluru, after tracking their movements through digital evidence and coordinating with Jodhpur Police. The operation was conducted under 'Operation Seva' at Ahmedabad Railway Station.
How the Operation Unfolded
The RPF Ahmedabad Division received a tip-off from Kudi Bhagtasni Police Station, Jodhpur City, about two missing minor girls believed to have boarded a train. RPF Inspector at Ahmedabad immediately assembled a team including Sub-Inspector Sonu Kumar, Assistant Sub-Inspector Ritesh Yadav, and other personnel.
During a check of Train No. 20693, the Jodhpur-KSR Bengaluru Express, one of the girls was identified aboard the train at Ahmedabad station. The man accompanying her attempted to flee but was chased down and apprehended by RPF personnel. Before his capture, he allegedly threw his mobile phone from the train — with messages and call records deleted — which was later recovered at Nadiad Railway Station.
Digital Evidence Cracks the Case
RPF personnel restored deleted data from the recovered phone and obtained the second accused's mobile number. With assistance from Jodhpur Police, his live location was traced, leading to his arrest along with the second minor girl on Platform No. 1 of Ahmedabad Railway Station. A fake e-Aadhaar card in the name of 'Aryan' and photographs of the girls' Aadhaar cards were recovered from the accused's phones.
The accused were identified as Aaqib Ansari, 24, and Syed Ibrahim, both residents of Bengaluru. During preliminary questioning, they allegedly told police they had befriended the girls through social media and gaming platforms and had planned to travel with them from Jodhpur to Bengaluru.
What Officials Said
DRM Ahmedabad Ved Prakash said the safety of passengers — particularly children and women — was the railway's highest priority, and credited the team's prompt response and inter-agency coordination for the successful rescue.
Sr. DSC Ahmedabad Anshuman Tripathi said: 'Technical and digital evidence helped trace the first accused, while information recovered from his mobile phone enabled the team to locate the second accused.' He attributed the outcome to close coordination with Jodhpur Police.
Next Steps and Handover
Both girls and the two accused were brought to the RPF Post at Ahmedabad. Following notification to Kudi Bhagtasni Police Station, the girls and accused were handed over to GRP Ahmedabad through a written memorandum for further legal proceedings and subsequent transfer to the concerned Jodhpur police authorities. The operation involved RPF Ahmedabad, GRP Ahmedabad, and Jodhpur Police working in concert, preventing the girls from being taken across state lines.
Point of View
Increasingly, a frontline for its interception. The RPF's use of deleted-data recovery and live location tracking marks a meaningful upgrade from reactive policing to digital-led intervention. What deserves scrutiny, however, is the upstream failure: the girls were reportedly befriended via social media and gaming platforms — vectors that remain largely unregulated for minors in India. The arrest is an outcome, not a solution; the policy gap that enabled the grooming remains wide open.
NationPress
15 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Operation Seva and how did it help rescue the girls?
Operation Seva is an RPF initiative focused on rescuing vulnerable passengers, including missing children, on the Indian railway network. In this case, it provided the operational framework under which the Ahmedabad RPF team acted on a tip-off from Jodhpur Police, intercepted the accused on a moving train, and recovered both girls before they could be taken out of the state.
Who are the two men arrested in the Ahmedabad railway rescue?
The accused are Aaqib Ansari , 24, and Syed Ibrahim , both residents of Bengaluru. They allegedly befriended the minor girls through social media and gaming platforms and had planned to bring them from Jodhpur to Bengaluru.
How did the RPF trace the second accused?
After the first accused was arrested, he allegedly threw his mobile phone — with call records and messages deleted — from the train. RPF personnel recovered the phone at Nadiad Railway Station, restored the deleted data, and obtained the second accused's mobile number, whose live location was then traced with Jodhpur Police's assistance.
What happens to the rescued girls and the arrested men now?
Both girls and the two accused were handed over to GRP Ahmedabad through a written memorandum. They are to be transferred to the concerned Jodhpur Police authorities — specifically Kudi Bhagtasni Police Station — for further legal proceedings.
What evidence was recovered from the accused?
A fake e-Aadhaar card in the name of 'Aryan' and photographs of the minor girls' Aadhaar cards were recovered from the accused's mobile phones. Deleted call records and messages were also restored from a phone thrown from the train by the first accused.
