Banderdewa brothels
Views of the brothels being demolished and the arrested people at Banderdewa. Image - Northeast Now

Four brothels that have been responsible for increased immoral activities in Banderdewa along the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh boundary area were demolished by police and civil administration on Monday night.

Housed in shanty structures constructed illegally on public land, the brothels were the breeding ground of crimes and anti-social activities including human trafficking, gambling and illicit liquor which affected the social life of that area.

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Based on public complaints, Lakhimpur Police led by Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Shantanu Kumar Dutta, DSPs Farukh Ahmed and S Bhuyan along with Revenue Circle Officers from Narayanpur and Bihpuria BS Saddab and Diptee Morang respectively demolished seven houses in Banderdewa near Himmatsinka complex.

Police also arrested 16 persons from inside the houses including five women involved in various illicit activities.

The women were mostly trafficked from outside Lakhimpur district for flesh trade.

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It may be recalled the district administration had demolished the same facilities in the same spot a year ago following public complaints from Pathali Pahar, Banderdewa and Harmutty.

But they sprung up again affecting the sanctity of the entire area with many illicit and anti-social activities.

The demolition operation was also led by Officers-in-Charge of Laluk and Bihpuria Police Stations Ajeet Kumar Bhuyan and Lintu Borah and Inspector-in Charge of Banderdewa Police Outpost Dhaneswar Das.

Meanwhile, a 10-year-old girl was also rescued from human traffickers at Gogamukh in Lakhimpur district on Sunday.

The victim who is from Nalbari of Torajan area under Dhemaji district was sold to one Kengo Lomi of Itanagar in Arunachal Pradesh and was taken by her own parents on a car with the buyer when she was rescued by public.

The parents of the girl child had contacted Kengo Lomi to hand over their daughter with an annual payment of Rs. 36,000 and a contract deed was also made on a stamp paper.

They were all detained when they stopped at Gogamukh to make a photocopy of the contract deed. It has been learnt that the person, who claimed to be the father of the victim, is not her actual father.

The public detained them in Gogamukh and handed over them to the police.

However it is reported that the police at the Gogamukh Police Station let Kengo Lumi to go. The incident once again reminds the rampant human trafficking in the districts of Lakhimpur and Dhemaji bordering Arunachal Pradesh.