Police rescue 2 minor girls, arrest 5 accused
Staff Reporter
ITANAGAR, 14 Jul: Two minor girls were rescued from the residence of one Mimi Bagang in Chimpu by the Itanagar police on 10 June.
The girls, aged 15 and 16, were rescued following information received by the women police station here on the 10th.
Addressing the media during a press conference at his office, Itanagar SP Rohit Rajbir Singh informed that initially a kidnapping case had been registered.
“But later, after interrogating the minors, it was learnt that the 15-year-old, who is from East Kameng district, was already part of an interstate prostitution racket,” he said.
She had been lured to New Delhi, on the pretext of being employed as a waitress, through one Api Brey, who lived in New Delhi and has been a pimp for the last 8-9 years, the SP informed.
Singh said that the victim, who earlier worked as a househelp at several homes in Itanagar, had been exposed to constant verbal abuse, and had taken the help of Brey, who initially told her that she would find employment for her as a waitress in New Delhi.
“However, after reaching there, the victim was sexually assaulted multiple times by different assaulters. Api Brey was earlier married to one of the persons known to the victim,” the SP said.
The 15-year-old victim reached Delhi in July 2023. Earlier this year, the victim somehow managed to return to Arunachal Pradesh, and found a job as a househelp at a home in Itanagar, where she was again exposed to verbal and physical abuse.
“With no option left, she contacted Api Brey again for a job in Delhi, but not an illicit one. Brey again promised to give her a job as a waitress and asked her to bring more friends with her,” the SP informed.
The victim then contacted the second minor victim (16 years old), a native of Kurung Kumey district who lives in Senki View here.
Both the minor girls were ready to leave for New Delhi on 11 June. However, they were rescued on the 10th.
The accused, Api Brey, had earlier contacted the kingpin of the ring, informing that she had many northeastern girls with her who could be engaged in the flesh trade.
Mimi Bagang, a friend of Api Brey’s, had helped in trafficking the 15-year-old girl to Delhi by train in July 2023.
“After interrogating the minors, the Itanagar police have arrested one male member of the house where the 15-year-old worked, for sexually assaulting her,” the SP informed.
Five persons have so far been arrested in the case, including Brey and Bagang. Among the other arrestees is 59-year-old Jeet Bahadur Khatri, hailing from Nepal, who was arrested on 10 July. Khatri used to work as a driver at a private firm in Delhi, and is the kingpin of the racket.
He also worked as a pimp, and ran a brothel in his rented house in Munirka in southwest Delhi.
One Sushil Kumar (42) alias Ballu was also arrested on 10 July. Interestingly, an advocate, identified as Raghunath Menon (51), was also arrested on 11 July.
At the time of his arrest, Menon was a practicing advocate at the Delhi High Court for 25 years and had a chamber in Lajpat Nagar. Menon is accused of sexually assaulting the 15-year-old minor multiple times in his chamber.
Menon had engaged Khatri to bring the minor girl to him.
