19 children rescued, three brokers held in Arunachal trafficking crackdown
Nineteen children were rescued from various parts of Arunachal Pradesh and three suspected brokers arrested in a crackdown on a child trafficking network, police said on Tuesday, Aug 25.
A case was registered at Namsai police station on August 17, after a complaint was lodged by the district's Child Welfare Committee (CWC), police said.
The children were rescued from Mechuka in Shi-Yomi district, Aalo in West Siang, Pasighat in East Siang, Naharlagun, Itanagar and Longding, they said. Given the case's inter-district nature, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted.
Preliminary investigation found that economically vulnerable families were allegedly approached with promises of better education and care for their children, after which the minors were procured and placed with individuals at distant locations, police said.
A majority of the rescued children are below eight years old, with the youngest around three, Namsai Superintendent of Police Sange Thinley said. "Police have also uncovered suspected monetary transactions ranging from Rs 10,000 to Rs 50,000 per child, involving some intermediaries and parents," he said.
The children were allegedly engaged in domestic help and hotel-related work, he added. Their statements were recorded before a magistrate.
"The SIT is currently analysing financial transactions, digital evidence and call records to trace and identify the wider network," Thinley said, appealing to the public to share any information about children who may have been placed in similar circumstances.
