Berhampur, July 5: Eighteen children, including eight girls, who were rescued from Coimbatore and Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu last week, reached Paralakhemundi today and were lodged in a short-stay home. The children are aged between three and 10.

Last week, the Tamil Nadu police, with the help of a voluntary organisation, had rescued 36 children belonging to Gajapati district from two Coimbatore-based organisations.

Subsequently, the Odisha police arrested Ayub Nayak who had sent the children to Tamil Nadu. It was alleged that Nayak had promised the poor parents of a better future for their children and had taken the kids to Tamil Nadu.

“We took all the children from Palasa to Paralakhemundi and are keeping them in Swadhara Home in Gosani. We are trying to locate their parents. Once we identify them, we will send their children home,” said Biswajit Biswal, sub collector, Gajapati.

The 18 children, who were rescued from a church in Tamil Nadu earlier in the first phase, have been brought back to Gajapati district by the district child welfare committee. They were sent to their parents last week. The children were from Gumma and Seranga areas.

Ayub Nayak of Sukei village had allegedly taken these children from remote villages in Gajapati district to Tamil Nadu on the pretext of providing free education, said Gajapati police superintendent Sarthak Sadangi.

Ayub was arrested by the Gajapati police from his village Sukei on Tuesday night following a complaint filed by the district child welfare committee, which was investigating into the alleged child trafficking case.

The Gajapati district administration has decided to initiate an awareness campaign in remote areas of the district to check recurrence of such incidents. Panchayat members have been requested to inform the district administration and the police if they come across any attempt, or even hint, of child trafficking in their areas.