Itanagar Sex Trafficking Case: Father arrested for molesting minor daughter

Itanagar, Jun 7: The minor sex trafficking racket busted by Itanagar Police in May this year has led to the arrest of a man in Assam's Dhemaji district for sexually molesting his minor daughter before selling her to a pimp.

The operation in May saw the arrest of 22 people, including traffickers, pimps, and sexual assailants, and the rescue of five minor girls, mostly from Dhemaji, who were forced into prostitution.

Among those rescued was an 8-year-old child who, during a counselling session at a shelter home, revealed she used to be sexually molested by her father in 2022 before being sold to one of the pimps in Itanagar who was involved in the infamous sex racket case.

Acting on this, the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) in Itanagar coordinated with Dhemaji police to lodge a zero FIR, leading to the man's arrest in Simen Chapori, CWC chairperson Taba Zim said.

A team from Dhemaji, comprising two child helpline members and two police personnel, visited Itanagar on Thursday to record the victim's statement under CrPC Section 161 (examination of witnesses by the police), Zim said.

"We're working to conduct CrPC Section 164 (a magistrate records the statement of a person or confession) proceedings via video conferencing," she added.

The Simen Chapori police station officer-in-charge declined to comment on the case, though he did confirm the arrest of the man.

The Arunachal Pradesh State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (APSCPCR) and the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) have taken cognizance of the matter.