Itanagar, March 28: Police in Naharlagun carried out a major operation against immoral trafficking, rescuing seven women and arresting two accused from the Banderdewa area on March 27, officials said.
The operation was led by Rishi Longdo along with IPS (Probationer) T. Yangki, with teams from Banderdewa Police Station under the Itanagar Capital Region Police. The rescue was conducted at two establishments—NK Lodge and Lovely Lodging—where the women were allegedly being exploited.
According to police findings, most of the rescued women are from Assam and come from economically vulnerable backgrounds. Investigations revealed that NK Lodge, owned by a local resident and leased to an individual from Assam, had been used exclusively for trafficking activities over the past several months. The manager, identified as Moina Das, allegedly admitted during questioning that all six rooms were used for such operations.
In a similar case, Lovely Lodging had reportedly undergone multiple lease arrangements before being taken over by its current operator, Fardaus Ahmed, who is said to have used the premises for trafficking-related activities for the past few months.
Police said the accused lured women from Assam and forced them into sex work. Payments from customers were made directly to the lodge operators, who retained a significant portion, while the women received only a limited share of the earnings.
The two accused—Fardaus Ahmed (35) from Morigaon district and Moinab Das (34) from Dhemaji district—have been arrested under provisions of the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956 and other relevant laws. Investigations are ongoing.
