New sex racket busted in Arunachal: Itanagar's unnamed bar at center of scandal

Itanagar, Sept 1: Arunachal Pradesh has been hit by another sex racket on Sunday. This time, a dingy bar situated in the Donyi Colony area of Itanagar has emerged as the hotspot of an illicit sex racket in the state.

According to Longding Police, who are leading the investigation, the seemingly unassuming establishment in the heart of the capital has been drawing girls, including minors, from across the state, only to later coerce them into the sex trade.

So far, the police have arrested nine individuals in the case including the bar owner, Chaya Dulom (45), along with her associates David Dulom (37) and Rahul Thapa (26).

The case came to light when several victims, with the youngest being 14 years old, bravely came forward and registered complaints with the Longding Police.

Following which, the police filed two cases against the unnamed bar and its owner under the relevant Sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012.

“Though we’ve received several complaints, we opted to register two cases to manage the investigation more effectively,” Longding SP Dekio Gumja told The Assam Tribune, adding that soon they will be filing a chargesheet in the case.

Meanwhile, disturbing facts have emerged, including allegations that the owner forced victims to offer sexual services to CCTV technicians and electricians in lieu of payment for their work.

Instead of cash, these workers were allegedly enticed with the opportunity to sleep with the victims, a tactic that drew many businessmen as regular visitors. Nearby shopkeepers were also reportedly frequent patrons of the establishment.

Interestingly three of the nine accused arrested in the case include CCTV technician Amarinder Kr Sah Sah (30), electrician Suman Sonar (31) and an electric appliances shop owner, Karna Das (36).

Reports also suggest that the bar's owner used to erase the previous night's CCTV footage each morning to cover their tracks.

On the first week of August, three minors from Longding district filed separate FIRs against the owner and her associates, Rahul and David.

According to the FIRs, the girls were enticed with promises of a monthly salary of Rs 7,000, free food and lodging, and school admission in Itanagar or Naharlagun. Initially treated well, the girls were eventually coerced into the sex trade.

One of the members of Longding Child Welfare Committee (CWC) had revealed to The Assam Tribune that during interrogation Chaya revealed that “the three girls were from the 14th season”, meaning that they were the 14th batch of girls who had been forced into sex work.

The CWC member further stated that the girls were forced to serve 2-3 customers a day, and sometimes, two customers at once, which led some of them to contract sexually transmitted diseases. “Some are not in a condition to wear their innerwear. We will be taking them all for medical check-ups at a proper health institution tomorrow,” the CWC member had said.

The matter is also being investigated by Longding unit of CWC and Arunachal Pradesh Women’s Welfare Society (APWWS).