Manipur Police rescue 128 youth from traffickers

The Manipur Police have rescued 128 girls and boys from international human traffickers here, police said on Saturday.

Imphal city police station house officer, Bobby, said: "Following tip-offs, the police along with officials of the Social Welfare Department rescued 103 girls and five boys on Friday night from different hotels in the capital city."

Out of them, as many as 73 are Nepalis.

The operations were supervised by Sandip Gopal Das, sub divisional police officer, Imphal West district.

On Saturday morning, a combined team of commandos and police raided hotels at Moreh town bordering Myanmar in Tengnoupal district and rescued five girls and 15 boys.

Sources said that the girls were rescued from being taken to foreign countries.

The 15 boys are being interrogated to ascertain whether they are victims of trafficking or members of the criminal gang of human traffickers.

Initial reports said that the youth were to be taken first to Myanmmar and then to Dubai and Iraq.

L. Pishak, secretary of Network Lifeline Foundation, said that he was alerted by activists about the trafficking of the youth towards Myanmar through Manipur.

Earlier, six girls who were rescued by activists in Rajiv Nagar in Delhi on January 30 disclosed that some girls and boys were being taken to Myanmar.

Pishak had in turn alerted the police about the trafficking.

S. Ibomcha, Tengnoupal district police superintendent, said: "We shall continue to raid hotels and other suspected houses in the border town."

--IANS

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