Seven women rescued in anti-trafficking operation in Arunachal, two arrested

In a major crackdown on immoral trafficking, police in Naharlagun rescued seven women and arrested two accused during an operation carried out in the Banderdewa area, officials said on March 27.
The operation was conducted on March 27 by teams from Banderdewa Police Station under the Itanagar Capital Region Police, led by SDPO Rishi Longdo along with IPS (Probationer) T. Yangki.
According to the police, seven women, mostly from Assam and belonging to economically vulnerable backgrounds, were rescued from two establishments, NK Lodge and Lovely Lodging, where they were allegedly being exploited for sex work.
Investigations revealed that NK Lodge, owned by a local resident, had been leased to a person from Assam for about a year. The manager, identified as Moina Das, reportedly confessed during interrogation that all six rooms of the lodge had been used exclusively for immoral trafficking activities over the past eight months.
Similarly, Lovely Lodging, owned by another local individual, had changed hands through multiple lease and sub-lease arrangements. The current operator, identified as Fardaus Ahmed, admitted to using the premises for trafficking-related activities for the past three to four months.
Police said the accused lured vulnerable women from Assam and forced them into sex work. Customers paid directly to the lodge managers, who kept a major share of the earnings, while the women received only 25 to 50 per cent of the amount.
The two accused—Fardaus Ahmed (35), a resident of Morigaon district in Assam, and Moinab Das (34), from Dhemaji district—have been arrested under relevant provisions of the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956 and other applicable laws.