Dibrugarh, Nov 29: Child trafficking in the tea garden belts of Upper Assam has become a growing concern in recent years, with many minors abducted or lured away and trafficked to neighbouring Arunachal Pradesh. The latest incident once again highlights the scale of the crisis.
Dibrugarh Police on Thursday apprehended a notorious trafficker, Vijay Patnaik (46), during a coordinated operation at Tinsukia railway station, rescuing three minors — two girls and one boy — just moments before they were to be transported out of Assam.
A suo motu case has been registered at Lahowal Police Station, and Patnaik has been booked under Sections 137(2) (kidnapping) and 143(5) (trafficking of persons) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). He has been remanded to judicial custody.
The joint operation, carried out by teams from Chabua and Lahowal police stations, was launched after specific intelligence inputs alerted authorities to Patnaik’s movement. The accused, a resident of Kadamoni in Chabua, was intercepted while preparing to board a train with the minors.
“We arrested the accused at Tinsukia railway station and rescued three minors from his clutches. He was planning to sell them outside Assam. We have taken him into custody and started an investigation,” a police official said.
Preliminary investigations indicate that Patnaik is a key operative in a long-running trafficking network, allegedly involved in ferrying several women and minors from Assam to other states for profit. Police said he had been on their radar for a long time.
In a related development, Tinsukia Police on Wednesday arrested Peter Sona, believed to be the mastermind of another trafficking network, from Phillobari. He is suspected to have trafficked at least half a dozen children from tea gardens to Arunachal Pradesh.
“Recently, police have rescued several children from the clutches of trafficking rackets. Many agents involved have been arrested and sent to jail,” another official said.
Activists say traffickers often target economically vulnerable tea garden families, luring them with false promises of secure jobs for their children.
“Many children leave for work in other states but end up trapped, exploited, and forced into labour. We have rescued many such children who were unable to return on their own. Human trafficking is an organised crime involving many players,” said a member of an NGO engaged in rescue operations.
ACMS vice president Nobin Chandra Keot said traffickers exploit labour shortages in neighbouring Arunachal Pradesh.
“There is a shortage of labour in Arunachal due to its smaller population. They often take workers from Assam’s tea gardens, but these labourers are frequently not paid. We are creating awareness in tea garden areas, but some parents still send their children for work,” Keot said.
