Itanagar: Police have busted an interstate child trafficking and sex-trade racket targeting girls from Arunachal Pradesh, officials said.
Police rescued two minor girls and arrested five individuals from Arunachal Pradesh and Delhi, said a police official.
According to the official, the case came to light on June 10, when the Itanagar Women police station got input about two missing girls aged 15 and 16 years.
The two minor were rescued by Itanagar police from a house in Chimpu in Papum Pare district. Itanagar SP Rohit Rajbir Singh said the case initially appeared to be a kidnapping. However, upon interrogating the minors, it was found that the 15-year-old, from East Kameng district, was involved in an interstate prostitution racket.
She had been lured to New Delhi with the promise of a waitress job by Api Brey, a known pimp in Delhi for the past 8-9 years.
SP Singh said the girl had previously worked as a househelp in Itanagar, where she faced constant verbal abuse.
Seeking a way out, she contacted Brey, who promised her employment in New Delhi. However, upon arrival, the victim was sexually assaulted multiple times by some individuals. Brey was previously married to someone known to the girl.
The 15-year-old returned to Arunachal Pradesh earlier this year and found another househelp job in Itanagar, only to face further abuse.
With no other options, she reached out to Brey again, who promised her a waitress job and asked her to bring friends.
The girl then contacted a 16-year-old girl from Kurung Kumey district. Both girls planned to leave for New Delhi on 11 June but were rescued by police on June 10.
Api Brey had informed the ring’s kingpin about the availability of northeastern girls for the flesh trade. Mimi Bagang helped in trafficking the 15-year-old to Delhi by train in July 2023.
Itanagar police have arrested five individuals, including Brey and Bagang. Among the detained persons is 59-year-old Jeet Bahadur Khatri from Nepal, who was apprehended on July 10.
Khatri, the racket’s kingpin, worked as a driver in Delhi and operated a brothel in his rented house in Munirka. Additionally, Sushil Kumar, 42, alias Ballu, was arrested on July 10.
Notably, Raghunath Menon, 51, a practicing advocate at the Delhi High Court for 25 years, was arrested on July 11.
Menon is accused of sexually assaulting the 15-year-old multiple times in his chamber and had engaged Khatri to bring the girl to him.
