Arunachal: 51 rescued, including 47 children, in trafficking case; facilitator held

Police in Arunachal Pradesh’s Namsai district have rescued 51 people, including 47 children, in connection with an alleged child trafficking and illegal placement network, officials said on Sunday.

Namsai superintendent of police Sange Thinley said sustained investigation, field verification and coordinated operations across multiple districts and states had increased the number of people traced or rescued from 19 in the initial phase to 38 and now to 51, including four adults.

Police have also arrested an alleged facilitator, Ema Loyi, a resident of Kaba village in Namsai, taking the total number of arrests in the case to five.

The investigation is being led by Namsai deputy SP Kengo Dirchi in coordination with the District Child Protection Unit, Child Welfare Committee, Child Helpline and other child protection agencies.

“Statements of the traced and rescued children connected with the accused have been recorded before the Magistrate under Section 183 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS),” Thinley said.

Police are examining financial transactions and the money trail to determine the nature and extent of monetary dealings and establish individual responsibility, the SP said.

The investigation is also focused on mapping the alleged network from parents and guardians to intermediaries and the eventual recipients of the children.

Police said the identities and personal details of the rescued minors were being withheld to protect their privacy, dignity and rights. Further operations are under way to locate any remaining victims and establish the complete chain of the alleged trafficking network.

The case was registered at Namsai police station on 17 August after the District Child Welfare Committee filed a complaint alleging illegal procurement and placement of children from economically vulnerable families.

During the initial operation, 19 children, most of them below eight years of age, were rescued from locations including Mechuka, Aalo, Pasighat, Naharlagun, Itanagar and Longding. The first three arrests involved alleged female facilitators.

As the investigation expanded into Assam and other areas, the number of people traced or rescued rose to 38, comprising 34 children and four adults. Police subsequently arrested a fourth alleged main facilitator for allegedly transporting and illegally placing victims.

Preliminary investigation indicated that vulnerable families were allegedly approached with promises of better education and upbringing for their children. Police detected financial transactions ranging from Rs 10,000 to Rs 50,000 per child involving intermediaries and parents.

Several rescued children had allegedly been placed as domestic help or made to work in hotels, police said.