Police have rescued 19 children from different parts of Arunachal Pradesh in connection with a suspected inter-district child trafficking and exploitation network. Most of the rescued children are below eight years of age. The children were rescued from Mechukha, Aalo, Pasighat, Naharlagun, Itanagar and Longding. The youngest child was around three years old when allegedly procured or placed with another person. The case was registered at the Namsai police station on 17 August, following a complaint from the Child Welfare Committee (CWC), Namsai.

The children were allegedly procured, transported and placed with different persons at distant locations. Investigators found suspected monetary transactions ranging from Rs 10,000 to Rs 50,000 per child in certain cases.

Preliminary investigation indicates that economically vulnerable families were approached with assurances of better education, care and upbringing for their children.

The special investigation team (SIT) is examining financial transactions, call records, digital evidence, the movement of the children, and links among facilitators and receivers.

The SIT was constituted because of the seriousness and inter-district nature of the case. The operation is still continuing, with police working to trace other children who may have been taken or placed under similar circumstances.

The investigation will help unearth the details. The parents and those who exploited poverty should be held responsible. If the pretext was education, what was the real motive, and why were there monetary transactions in the first place?

Accountability has to be fixed, and the perpetrators have to be punished. The CWC has done a commendable job in identifying the issue. The next step should be a timely investigation and judicial intervention.