Our Correspondent
Imphal, Sep. 10 (EMN): Eight girls from Manipur – who were taken for “immoral trafficking” – to Myanmar’s Yangon township have been rescued with the intervention of the government of Manipur, according to official sources.
“These girls from Churachandpur made a distress call to the office of the superintendent of police, Churachandpur, requesting to rescue them as they are likely to be sent to Thailand or Singapore,” Manipur’s Additional Chief Secretary, Dr, J Suresh Babu informed in a press statement issued on Sunday.
“On receiving the information, the home department immediately contacted the Indian Embassy officials in Yangon. With the help of Myanmar police and Indian Embassy officials, all the eight girls were rescued from a hotel located near Yangon railway station.”
The rescued girls were currently under the protection of Myanmar police and a case has been registered in this regard at Churachandpur women police station, it stated.
The news agency IANS also reported that following the rescue of those eight girls, “the number of tribal girls rescued from the clutches of the sex traders in the past few weeks has increased to 15” in Manipur.
“Some local members of the international gang, all hailing from Churachandpur district of Manipur, were arrested...the Manipur government got in touch with the central government which in turn instructed the Indian Embassy to do the needful. With the help of the Myanmarese police the Embassy officials raided the hotel. The girls are now in the protective custody of police. Arrangements are being made to bring them back to Manipur.”
Barely a week ago, Churachandpur police had laid multiple traps along the highway to rescue two girls, and arrest three traffickers including two women, it reported.
“One of the girls told IANS that her parents were paid Rs. 10,000 with a vague assurance to be paid Rs 90,000 later. The traffickers had told the unlettered parents that she would be given gainful employment in foreign countries. Five more girls were rescued on Wednesday while they were being taken to Moreh on way to Thailand.
“Some years back three tribal girls from Manipur managed to return home with money donated by generous tourists. They said that many other girls are forced into immoral trafficking there. They said that first several boys and girls are taken to Chennai from where selected girls are taken to Thailand and Singapore. On the way their passports are confiscated. They were forced into drudgery as domestic servants and no money was paid to them for 10 hour work daily,” the report read.
