OUR CORRESPONDENT
ITANAGAR: In a major breakthrough, Itanagar Police have busted an interstate child trafficking racket operating between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, rescuing three minor girls and arresting six accused persons in connection with a case registered at the Women Police Station (WPS), here.
Two other minor children linked to the network remain untraceable, and efforts are underway to trace them, police said on Saturday.
The case was registered under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, read with Section 14(1) of the Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Act, 1986 and Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.
The racket came to light on February 7 after a seven-year-old girl was found wandering in a severely injured condition at F-Sector here, in the early hours. A local resident alerted police, who shifted the child to the women police station and then to R K Mission Hospital for medical examination.
The matter was immediately reported to the Child Welfare Committee (CWC), Capital Complex.
The CWC chairperson and counsellor provided psychological support to the child at "Ane's Home - The One-Stop Support Centre" functioning within the WPS premises.
During counselling, the child disclosed details of physical abuse and exploitation, exposing a larger trafficking network. A written complaint was subsequently lodged by the CWC chairperson.
Investigation revealed that the minor had been brought from Assam and employed as a domestic helper at a residence in Itanagar, where she was allegedly subjected to repeated assault and cruelty. Unable to endure the abuse, she reportedly escaped on the night of February 6. Further probe uncovered an organized pattern of illegal transfer and sale of minor children between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh over several years.
Police found that minors were sold through informal cash transactions without any legal adoption procedures, deprived of education and identity documents, and engaged as domestic workers in different households where they faced exploitation and physical abuse. In several cases, multiple children from the same families were trafficked separately.
Following sustained investigation and coordinated operations, police teams rescued three minor girls from different locations and arrested six accused persons involved in trafficking and exploitation.
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