Interstate child trafficking racket busted in Itanagar; three girls rescued, 6 caught

Itanagar: The police in Itanagar have busted an organised interstate child trafficking racket operating between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, rescuing three minor girls and arresting six persons accused of trafficking, purchasing and exploiting children as domestic labourers, officials said on Thursday.

Capital Superintendent of Police (SP) Jummar Basar said the case surfaced after a grievously injured seven-year-old girl was found wandering alone in F-Sector here around 4.30 am on February 7.

A resident took her to the Women Police Station, from where she was taken for treatment and counselling. The child was later provided with psychological support at 'Ane's Home', a one-stop support centre for women and children within the WPS premises.

"During counselling, the girl disclosed details that exposed a wider trafficking network, prompting registration of a case under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Child Labour Act, and the Juvenile Justice Act," the SP said.

Investigators found that the child had been trafficked from Assam and employed as a domestic help in an Itanagar household, where she was repeatedly assaulted and subjected to cruelty. She escaped on the night of February 6 and was subsequently

rescued, police said.

Further probe revealed a pattern of illegal transfer and sale of minor children across districts and states over several years. Children were allegedly sold through informal cash transactions without legal adoption procedures, deprived of education and identity documents, and forced into domestic labour. Police also found that multiple children from the same families had been trafficked to different households.

Acting on leads, police teams rescued three minor girls from different locations and arrested six persons for their alleged roles in trafficking, purchasing, and exploiting minors.

Police have also served notices to three other persons for suspected involvement or knowledge of the network.

The rescued children have been placed in shelter homes under CWC supervision. Police said two victims remain missing, including one since 2021. The racket allegedly used informal brokers to traffic children as domestic workers, denying them schooling and basic rights.