15 people arrested in connection with sexual exploitation racket involving minor girls

Itanagar: Rajdhani Police has arrested 15 people in connection with a sexual exploitation racket involving minor girls aged 10, 12 and 15 years. Seven of the 15 have been identified as pimps who used to transport minor girls to clients. Ironically, all three have been identified as ‘peer teachers’ of a voluntary health association, an Itanagar-based NGO that educates young women about sexually transmitted diseases. The ‘Peer Educators’ are Techi Reena alias Aniya, Pushpa Mandal and Lakshmi Gor, residents of FNG Sector, Itanagar and permanent residents of Gohpur, Assam. Other pimps arrested include Jamlo Tagung (a personal driver of Chimpu), two sisters – Pushpanjali Mili (who runs Pompeii and Rosni beauty parlor in Vivek Vihar, and Purnima Mili (who runs a beauty parlor in Guwahati, Assam) – Both are permanent residents of Dhemaji, Assam and husband of Pushpanjali Mili and Enamul Haq, permanent resident of Darrang, Assam, live in Itanagar. A case has been registered against these people under the POCSO Act. Addressing reporters on Friday, Itanagar SP Rohit Rajbir Singh said the raids and arrests were conducted based on credible input received on May 4 in connection with a prostitution ring in which minor girls were involved. “Accordingly, a team of the capital police raided the residence of Techi Reena and Jamlo Tagung in Chimphu, from where the police rescued three minor girls,” the SP said. It is revealed that two minor girls were brought to Itanagar by Dhemaji’s sisters and were forced into prostitution by joining Aniya and Tagung’s gang. Another victim was the daughter of Tagung’s first wife. She was not forced into prostitution and was later reunited with her mother. “All four trafficked girls were brought from Dhemaji by the Mili sisters after luring them with a job offer in Itanagar. Initially they used to work in beauty parlors, but later they were forced into prostitution,” said the SP. The eight others – all clients – who have been arrested in the case are Dr. Cenlar Ronya, deputy director of health services; NRHM UPIA Accountant Debia Tara; Boleng PWD AE Takam Langdip; Itanagar RWD JE Michi Tabin; Ex-Pistana ZPM Neelam Mangha; Pauline RWD regular driver Rido Naim; Driver Bamang Taya of Itanagar Social Forestry Division; and Sushil Seal, sales manager of Maruti Arena, Model Village. The minor girls were brought to Itanagar in 2020, 2022 and 2023. The two girls, who were brought in 2020 and 2022, were just eight years old. One of them managed to escape, but was brought back again in 2022. All the persons identified as customers were arrested based on their posts in the WhatsApp group to which they belonged. After the news of police raid came out, some people left the WhatsApp group. “The job of the brokers was to send photographs of minor girls to customers and fix rates for the girls. Typically, clients sexually assault minors and walk away after paying the brokers. The brokers used to take minor girls for shopping on a regular basis,” the SP said. On Thursday and Friday, arrest notices were served to Jaya Tandi (manager of Hotel Center Point in Ganga), and Tajum Ronya and Loknath Dahal (owner and manager of Marpi Hotel in Ganga, respectively) by the capital police. Cases have been registered in the women’s police station here under section 373 of the IPC and sections 3, 4, 5 and 6 of the Immoral Trafficking Act. The Child Welfare Committee has been informed about the matter. At present, the minor girls are in a shelter home and are undergoing treatment.