7 trafficked minors handed back to parents

IMPHAL, Jan 29, 2013: The seven minor who were rescued by Thoubal police from the hands of alleged traffickers on January 22 while conducting a frisking check near a canal around Thoubal police station were today handed over to their parents during a simple function held at the premises of the state Social Welfare department.

The children were handed  for repatriation after WK Blah, chairperson, Child Welfare Committee, Meghalaya and the Child Welfare Committee, Thoubal  signed an agreement during the function.

The seven minor including two girls who were allegedly trafficked from Ribhoi district of Meghalaya were intercepted and rescued by Thoubal district police January 22 while they were being transported in a Maruti Van bearing regd no MN02-3522 while coming from the Imphal side to an unregistered orphanage or children home, located at Chandel district of Manipur.

Apart from registering a case regarding the incident, three persons involved in the trafficking of the children have been arrested by the Thoubal district police and have been remanded for further investigations. 

The three has been identified as Kl Larny Anal (32), son of KL Lumsung Anal of Abungnikhu village, Chandel, his brother Uninov Anal (19) and Bison Nongshli (54) son of (L) C Maring of Sang Bangla Nongpoh of Meghalaya.

Even as the representatives of CWC Ribhoi district, Meghalaya observed that the children were brought to Manipur with the consent of their parents who reportedly do not know anything about the provision of child rights, the chairperson of the CWC Thoubal district, Mala said that the incident was a clear case of child trafficking as the transportation of children had defied all norms of child rights.  

The three adults who had brought in the children had earlier failed to furnish any documents relating to the transfer of the children, following which they were handed over to CWC, Thoubal by the police next day.

After the children were taken into the custody of CWC Thoubal, representatives of the CWC reportedly contacted their counterparts of Meghalaya.