AGARTALA, February 10: In a major development, police on Sunday evening rescued five minor girls from a hotel on VIP Road near Agartala airport, raising serious concerns over a possible human trafficking attempt. The rescue was carried out at Hotel Devraj in the Natunnagar area under the Airport Police Station following specific intelligence inputs.
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| Five minor girls rescued by police from a hotel near Agartala airport stand at a police station as investigations continue into a suspected trafficking attempt. |
According to police sources, Airport Police conducted a swift search operation at the hotel and found the five minors, all reportedly hailing from the Kanchanpur subdivision of North Tripura district. The girls were immediately taken to the Airport Police Station for preliminary inquiry and completion of legal formalities.
Officer-in-Charge of Kanchanpur Police Station, Srikanta Rudrapal, confirmed that missing complaints had earlier been lodged regarding three minor girls from Kanchanpur. “A missing diary was registered in connection with the disappearance of three hostel students. Later, we were informed by Airport Police that five minors were rescued from a hotel in Agartala,” he said, adding that the girls would be handed over to Kanchanpur Police for further investigation.
Airport Police Station Officer-in-Charge Abhijit Mandal stated that they had received information from Kanchanpur Police regarding the missing complaints. “After tracking their location, it was found that the girls had arrived at the hotel. During preliminary questioning, they said they had come to visit Agartala city,” he said. The minors were subsequently handed over to officials of Kanchanpur Police Station.
Police sources revealed that all five girls were inmates of the same girls’ hostel, which has intensified concerns about their safety and supervision. While no official statement has yet been issued by either the police or the rescued minors, investigators are actively probing the possibility of an organized human trafficking network being involved.
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Local sources have claimed that there may have been an attempt to traffic the minors to Kolkata by air, allegedly with the involvement of middlemen. Police, however, said the investigation is ongoing and no conclusions have been drawn so far.
The incident has triggered widespread concern across the region, particularly over the security of minors residing in hostels. Authorities said further details would emerge as the investigation progresses.
