HT Correspondent
DIBRUGARH, Nov 28: In a major breakthrough against child trafficking, Dibrugarh Police on Thursday evening apprehended a notorious trafficker, Vijay Patnaik (46), during a coordinated operation at Tinsukia Railway Station.
The operation led to the rescue of three minors—two girls and one boy—who were reportedly on the verge of being transported out of Assam.
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Police said a suo motu case has been registered at Lahowal Police Station, and Patnaik has been booked under Sections 137(2) (kidnapping) and 143(5) (trafficking of person) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
He has been remanded to judicial custody.
The joint operation was carried out by personnel from Chabua and Lahowal police stations following specific intelligence inputs on the suspect’s movement.
Patnaik, a resident of Kadamoni in Chabua, was intercepted just as he was preparing to board a train with the victims.
“We arrested the accused from Tinsukia Railway Station and rescued three minors from his clutches. He was attempting to sell them outside Assam. We have taken him into custody and initiated further investigation,” a police official said.
The official further stated that police received credible inputs indicating that Patnaik had been travelling with the minors and intended to traffic them outside the state.
“Based on the information, we launched a joint operation and successfully nabbed him,” he added.
Initial investigations suggest that Patnaik is a key operative in a longstanding trafficking network, suspected of transporting numerous women and minors from Assam to other states for financial gain.
Police sources confirmed that he had been under surveillance for a considerable period.
Authorities said efforts are underway to identify additional members of the trafficking ring and trace earlier victims. The rescued minors have been placed under the care of child protection services.
