Key Accused in Mizo Child Trafficking Held

Aizawl, Sep 23 : The local court today denied interim bail to the key accused in a child trafficking case, who was arrested by Bawngkawn police in Aizawl yesterday. Police arrested 29-year-old Satywan, a Border Security Force cook, for his alleged role in the trafficking of a 15-year-old girl from Durtlang locality in Aizawl, who was recently rescued by the Mizoram police after having been sold twice as brides in Haryana.

The court today allowed the police a detention of the accused for another 48 hours. Satywan, who hailed from Rajasthan, was employed as cook at BSF sector headquarters at Durtlang where he became acquainted with the victim. Meanwhile, six others accused brought here by the police from Haryana, along with the rescued girl, had been sent to the Aizawl Central Jail.

The 15-year-old girl, whose family engaged in cattle farming near the BSF headquarters, was last seen on June 6.

Police investigations revealed that she allegedly fell into the trap Satyawan. The accused sent her to his village in Rajasthan and gave her Rs.3,000 for travel expenses. However, his brother Raju received her midway at the New Delhi railway station and in connivance with his accomplices, allegedly sold her for Rs 90,000.

Satywan, who proceeded on leave a few days later, was allegedly paid Rs 50,000 as his cut. When the traffickers learnt that police had registered a case and launched a hunt for them, they got panicky and allegedly planned to eliminate the victim.

However, accused Dharamvir Yadav (30) chose not to kill her and instead sold her off to one Ram Yadav (60) and his son Dinesh (31) for Rs 50,000.

It was alleged that the victim was forced to marry Dinesh and her name was changed to conceal her real identity.

A Mizoram police team headed by a woman officer, LT Puii Pulamte, SDPO of Aizawl North, rescued the girl from the house of Ram Yadav, a retired high school headmaster, from Panthiwas village in Rewari district of Haryana on September 12.