Clamp Down Hard On Sex Racket: Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma

SHILLONG: After reports of a child trafficking racket being detected in West Jaintia Hills district surfaced, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma has directed the agencies concerned to take prompt action against the offenders and clamp down hard on the sex-racket targeting minors.

It may be mentioned that on Tuesday, police arrested eight persons including a women and on Wednesday, arrested three more in connection with a prostitution racket involving minor girls. The racket was operating at Mihmyntdu in West Jaintia Hills district.

Speaking to The Sentinel on the sideline of a function in the city, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said, “The State Government is taking up this issue very seriously and the police have also arrested many persons involved in this racket. Such illegal activities will not be allowed and we will not take it lightly.”

He further said that the State Government will take firm action against those involved in exploiting minors and pushing them into the racket.

When asked on the initiative to be taken up by the MDA government to clamp down on such sex rackets in the State, Sangma said, “These things requires a lot of intelligence input and plenty of information needs to be collected from those arrested to crack open the cases,” the Chief Minister said.

He also said that there is a national network. Hence it’s important for us to go deep into the network and find out those people who are actually behind these trafficking rackets and take necessary action.

“We are hopeful that along with the support of the Central agencies and other State agencies, we can find a way forward to finally stop such activities in the State,” he said.

When this scribe questioned the Chief Minister on the open secret that places like Police Bazar and other places in the city are hot spots for sex workers, he said, “The police, when they detect such activities in these areas, are prompt to act and whenever the government receives information on such illegal activities it always take action and we will continue to do so.”

It may be mentioned that the sex racket targeting minor girls surfaced when one girl went missing from a locality in Jowai since January 25. The police stepped in and managed to rescue minor victims aged between 14-16 years.

Some of the arrested persons were identified as – Dapynbiang Sten (26), Riwandakaru Dann (22), Kristina Lyngdoh (18), Sanwaki Dkhar (28), Lemi Ryngkhlem (20), Elison Dkhar (24), Emryngkatmitre Dkhar (20) and Prosperity Talang (22).

In total, the police managed to rescue around 20 girls, including nine juveniles.

In this connection, the Chairperson of State Commission for Child Rights Meena Kharkongor has sought a report regarding the matter.

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