Man Nabbed for Attempted Child Trafficking in Tinsukia's Philobari

TINSUKIA: A shocking case of child trafficking has once again come to light in Philobari under Doomdooma subdivision of Tinsukia district. Local residents apprehended a man identified as Dipak Phukan, allegedly involved in child trafficking, when he arrived at Singphow village in Philobari to take away two minors.

According to reports, the accused, Dipak Phukan, along with his associates Tike and Peter, had rented a vehicle (AS 23 AF 5952) to allegedly transport the minors to Harmoti in Lakhimpur district. Locals caught him red-handed before he could flee and immediately handed him over to Philobari Police.

As per police and local sources, the accused is part of a larger trafficking network that has been operating for years, targeting poor and uneducated families from tea garden areas by luring them with money. The group reportedly trafficked children to Itanagar in Arunachal Pradesh and even to other states under false promises.

Villagers have alleged that another key accused, Peter, who had previously introduced himself as a member of a social organisation, had earlier taken away a one-and-a-half-year-old child from a local tea worker's family and never returned him despite promises.

In regard to this, the Adivasi Students Union has demanded strict and immediate action against all those involved in this trafficking racket.

Police have started an investigation and are conducting raids to arrest the remaining members of the gang.

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