Reported by Avik Chakraborty and Laxman Sharma
Dibrugarh & Digboi: Namsai police have traced and recovered 38 people, including 34 children and four adults, from different parts of Arunachal Pradesh in a major breakthrough in a suspected child trafficking and illegal placement case.
The recoveries were made during the investigation into Namsai police station Case No. 54/2026, which has now expanded beyond Namsai district as investigators follow leads across Eastern and Central Arunachal Pradesh.
Namsai Superintendent of Police Sangey Thinley told Northeast Now that the operation was not confined to a particular district and involved locations across Eastern and Central Arunachal Pradesh.
“It is a drive across Eastern and Central Arunachal Pradesh from where the victims were rescued,” Thinley said, adding that the investigation could assume a wider, statewide dimension as further leads emerge.
The widening geographical scope has prompted investigators to examine whether the individual cases are connected to a larger network involved in the transportation and placement of children and other persons.
The probe is being conducted by Deputy Superintendent of Police and Investigating Officer Kengo Dirchi under the supervision of SP Thinley, with coordination and support from the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) and District Child Protection Unit (DCPU), Namsai.
Police said another alleged key facilitator, Rupali Padung, has been arrested as the investigation progressed, taking the total number of arrests in the case to four.
Padung’s alleged role, along with that of other individuals suspected to be involved in the transportation and placement of the recovered persons, is being examined in accordance with the law.
Investigators are now working to establish the complete chain of individuals allegedly involved in the operation. The probe includes examination of the movement and placement of the recovered persons, suspected financial transactions, electronic evidence and other possible links.
Police are also questioning individuals with whom the children and other recovered persons were allegedly placed, as well as their parents and guardians. The circumstances surrounding each placement are being verified, and the roles of the individuals involved are being assessed separately.
Officials said legal action will be taken wherever involvement is established on the basis of evidence.
The investigation is also examining possible links beyond Arunachal Pradesh. Asked about potential connections involving neighbouring Assam, including whether victims or suspected facilitators from the state could be linked to the case, SP Thinley indicated that investigators were following emerging leads and examining possible inter-state linkages.
The recovery of 34 children has meanwhile prompted a coordinated child-protection response. The CWC and DCPU are providing support for their care, protection, counselling, rehabilitation and overall welfare.
Authorities said the focus remains on ensuring the safety and dignity of the recovered children while the investigation into the suspected network continues.
Rather than treating the recoveries as isolated incidents, investigators are attempting to connect the individual leads to determine whether they form part of a broader trafficking or illegal-placement chain operating across multiple locations.
Namsai police have reiterated that efforts are underway to identify the entire network and take appropriate legal action against anyone whose involvement is established during the investigation.
The identities and personal particulars of the children are being kept confidential in accordance with the law.
The investigation remains ongoing, and further details are expected to emerge as police examine additional leads and evidence.