A child trafficking network operating in Arunachal Pradesh has been busted after police rescued 19 children from different parts of the state and arrested three people for their alleged involvement in trafficking children, police said on Tuesday.
The arrested persons have been identified as Gumnya Kochung, Marte Ete and Neha Gerory.
The rescue operation was launched following a complaint filed by the Namsai Child Welfare Committee (CWC). Based on the complaint, a case was registered at the police station on August 17.
According to reports, the children were rescued from Mechuka, Aalo, Pasighat, Naharlagun, Itanagar and Longding in Arunachal Pradesh.
Police investigation revealed that monetary transactions ranging from around Rs 10,000 to Rs 50,000 per child had taken place in some cases.
"We have rescued 19 children across different places of Arunachal Pradesh. Three persons were arrested in connection with child trafficking. We are investigating the case," Superintendent of Police Sangey Thinley said.
A majority of the rescued children are below eight, with the youngest being around three, Thinley said.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been formed to investigate the case further.
According to reports, some of the rescued children were made to work as domestic helpers or in hotels.
An activist involved in child rescue and rehabilitation said, "There is a shortage of manpower in Arunachal Pradesh and there is demand for workers in hotels, restaurants and as domestic help. The middlemen work on behalf of the trafficking network. They are well connected and know the demand. They target economically vulnerable families and take away their children for work in different parts of Arunachal Pradesh. In many cases, missing complaints are filed and the children do not return home."
A leader of the All Tea Tribes Students' Association (ATTSA) said, "The child traffickers often target the vulnerable sections of society. Most of the children who were trafficked are from tea garden areas of Assam. Most of the time, they were taken to Arunachal Pradesh for domestic work."
8 Trafficking Cases In 2024
According to the National Crime Records Bureau's (NCRB) Crime in India 2024 report, Arunachal Pradesh recorded eight human trafficking cases in 2024 involving 66 identified victims. The report stated that all 66 victims were trafficked for sexual exploitation.
Police arrested 52 people in trafficking-related cases during the year, but no convictions were reported. The state also recorded the rescue of 38 victims, highlighting the gap between arrests, rescue efforts and successful prosecution in human trafficking cases.
