16-year-old Monu Karmakar (name changed) dreamed of getting a good education, but destiny had forced him into a human trafficking network, which has been a growing concern in the tea gardens of Assam’s Tinsukia.
Monu was not the only victim of child trafficking; his younger brother and sister also fell prey to a human trafficking network that is actively operating in tea garden areas and targeting weaker sections of society by luring them with promises of jobs outside the state.
The lush green tea estates of Doomdooma in Tinsukia district mesmerise everyone, but there is an ugly truth beyond the natural beauty of the tea gardens.
Tinsukia has 122 tea gardens, and the tea tribe community is the main workforce behind the growth of the tea industry.
After spending three years in Mechuka, Arunachal Pradesh, Monu somehow managed to flee from the hotel where he was forced to work. Monu is the eldest among his siblings, and after his father’s death, the responsibility of the family fell on him. Monu’s mother is a casual tea plucker in a tea garden who earns a meagre wage to meet the family’s expenses.
“On February 6, 2022, at 8 am, all three of us were taken to Namsai, Arunachal Pradesh, by one of our relatives with promises of jobs and education. After reaching Namsai, he left us there, and after staying there for two days, we were taken to Tato in Shi Yomi district of Arunachal Pradesh. We were promised that we would get Rs 6,000 each for our work, but we did not know that we were being trapped. My sister and brother used to work as domestic workers in a house, and I was taken to Mechuka, where I used to work in a hotel. The owner of the hotel was abusive, and sometimes he did not give us food. I did not know what would happen because I was not getting any salary for my work. When I asked for my salary, they said we had been sold for Rs 60,000,” said Monu.
He said, “Most of the time, the owner tortured me when I asked for money. Sometimes, I used to cut firewood. When I wanted to return home, the hotel owner tortured me. I am depressed and do not know what to do. My dreams were shattered, and I am helpless. My younger brother and sister were also trapped, and they were working in hotels. It was very painful for me because I had been promised a job and education.”
“I am not the only one working there. There are many young children like me working in hotels and restaurants. They are all Adivasi people. They took the children away from tea garden areas and engaged them in household work and their personal work,” he said.
“One day, I took a risk and fled from there. I fled in a goods carrier vehicle. I had no money, but a kind-hearted person helped me.”
“I reached Silapathar in Assam from Mechuka after a tough journey, and from there, I reached Doomdooma. The vehicle driver helped me. If I had stayed there for more days, I might not have been able to return. I was like a bonded labourer. After reaching home, I explained everything to my mother. With the help of Doomdooma police, my younger brother and sister were rescued,” he said.
Arjun (name changed) and Saraswati (name changed), Monu’s siblings, described similar ordeals during their stay in Tato. “I used to cook food in the house of Babom Rogmai. Sometimes, the owner misbehaved with us. We did not know that we were trapped,” Saraswati said.
A team from Tinsukia police went to Tato and rescued both minors from the hotel where they used to work.
The journalist had to travel for two days to reach Mechuka from Dibrugarh to find out the truth. The journey from Dibrugarh covered over 380 km. The investigation revealed many things. The roads are in a pathetic condition, and landslides occur frequently along the route from Tato to Mechuka. Risking his life, the journalist travelled to find out the truth. When the journalist stopped for lunch at a hotel in Tato, it was found that a minor boy was working as a waiter there. For the safety of the minor boy, the name of the hotel cannot be revealed. The boy was calm and composed and was serving us food.
From Tato, the journey to Mechuka continued along the bumpy roads of the rough terrain. After reaching Mechuka, the beautiful mountains and greenery all around made the difficult journey through the mountains feel less exhausting. During a stay at one of the homestays, it was found that an Adivasi boy had been working there for the past year.
“Assam police came and rescued two children from a hotel in Tato. Our police team assisted the Assam police team during the rescue operation,” said Shi Yomi Superintendent of Police (SP) S.K. Thundok.
In another incident, in May this year, three victims of human trafficking were rescued by Tinsukia police from Papum Pare district of Arunachal Pradesh. Three minor girls were rescued by a police team from Talap outpost under the leadership of Arpana Gogoi.
“We have arrested three persons in connection with the case. They have been identified as Ajit Karmakar, Paresh Kalandi and Amir Limbo. Amir Limbo was the main person who had taken the girls to Namsai for household work.”
“Many human trafficking cases have been reported from this area in the past five years. Last year, we rescued 10 victims of human trafficking. All were taken to Arunachal Pradesh for work. Human trafficking involves a network that operates in a well-coordinated manner, targeting poor families, especially those in tea garden areas,” the police official said.
The official said, “Amir Limbo works for a construction company in Namsai, Arunachal Pradesh. Among the construction workers, one of them told Amir that a man in Namsai wanted girls for household work. Amir contacted Ajit to provide him with domestic workers for jobs in Arunachal Pradesh. Ajit contacted Paresh. During the investigation, we came to know that Ajit and Paresh had contacted the family members of the victims and taken them to Namsai for work.”
“We have rescued three minor girls from Papum Pare district of Arunachal Pradesh and brought them back to Talap police outpost. Case No. 72/25 under Section 143(5) of the BNS was registered at Doomdooma police station. Three accused were arrested in connection with the case,” said Arpana Gogoi, sub-inspector of Talap police outpost.
Gogoi said, “Human trafficking is an organised crime, and human traffickers execute their plans in a coordinated manner. In tea garden areas, child trafficking cases are increasing, but most cases go unreported. Child trafficking cases are reported from Doomdooma and Talap because these areas share a border with Arunachal Pradesh.”
“Last year, Paresh Kalandi contacted me and said that there was a job in Arunachal Pradesh and that they wanted a girl for household work. Your daughter was at home for a month due to the summer vacation, and she could work there. Kalandi offered us money. Paresh, along with two others, took the girls to Namsai, and from there, they were taken to Papum Pare district of Arunachal Pradesh for work. One month has passed, and they have not returned. Paresh did not pay us the money he had promised,” said the father of one of the victims.
He said, “I filed an FIR at Talap police outpost when my daughter did not return for months. I gave all the statements to the police, and the police detained Paresh Kalandi. Later, two others were arrested in connection with the case. A team from Talap police outpost went to Papum Pare district and rescued my daughter, along with other girls, from a house where they were working as domestic workers.”
On October 6, 2025, local residents rescued four children from a night bus in the Makum area of Tinsukia who were allegedly being trafficked.
The minors were found aboard a night bus bearing registration number AR 11B 4458, which had reportedly come from Arunachal Pradesh.
A police investigation revealed that two young women from Diyun in the Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh had allegedly planned to take the children to Itanagar.
“Nayana Chakma was planning to take the children to Itanagar for household work. Nayana Chakma was an agent, and she was from the Diyun area of Changlang district. One of the girls had gone to the Chowkham area for work, and the agent contacted her and took her mobile number. She influenced the girl and told her that there was a job in Itanagar where they would get good payment. After returning home, the girl contacted her friends. Nayana Chakma established contact with the girl. During the Durga Puja festival, the four girls went to the house of one girl’s uncle. From there, Nayana Chakma took them in an auto and planned to go to Itanagar. They boarded a night super bus. However, some members of the Assam Tea Tribe Students’ Association (ATTSA) came to know about the incident and alerted their organisation. In the Makum area, they stopped the bus, and with the help of police, the minors were rescued,” said a police official.
Tinsukia Deputy Commissioner Swapneel Paul, who is now posted as the DC of Kamrup, said, “Most cases of child trafficking are reported from the Doomdooma area. We are taking all possible measures to stop child trafficking. Many tea gardens have come up in Arunachal Pradesh, which shares a border with Tinsukia, and in most cases, children are taken to Arunachal Pradesh to work in the tea gardens.”
“Due to societal issues, cases of child trafficking are reported in the garden areas of Tinsukia. In most cases, the parents are involved. When a child is taken somewhere, the agents who take the child pay some amount to the family. When the payments stop, the parents report the matter to the police. It is a very complex issue, and everybody should work in a well-coordinated manner to stop this menace in society,” said Tinsukia Senior Superintendent of Police Gurav Abhijit Dilip, who is now posted in Dibrugarh as SSP.
“Many child trafficking cases are reported from Samdang Tea Estate and Raidang Tea Estate in Doomdooma. Recently, many cases have been reported from these areas. The victims have been rescued and reunited with their families. The tea garden areas are particularly vulnerable because awareness is low in these areas. In many cases, we have found that guardians sent their own children to work in Arunachal Pradesh after making a deal to receive a lump sum amount every month. However, when the payments stopped, they reported the matter to the police,” said Satya Narayan Baruah, District Child Protection Unit (DCPU) officer of Tinsukia.
He said, “We have also found that traffickers target the children of casual tea garden workers. Somehow, they establish contact with their families through agents and, in a well-planned manner, take the children to Arunachal Pradesh for work for one or two months. Sometimes, however, they do not return. Tea garden areas have become easy targets for human traffickers, and most child trafficking cases are reported from Doomdooma because it is a border area with Arunachal Pradesh.”
“With the Assam Branch of the Indian Tea Association (ABITA) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), we have organised awareness meetings in tea garden areas to address societal issues. We called the line chowkidars (watchmen) and gave them training on trafficking. Awareness has now increased in the garden areas. Child trafficking is an organised crime, and to curb it, we have to work in a coordinated manner,” said Baruah.
“Missing cases are less frequently reported in tea garden areas because guardians do not go to police stations to file missing reports. After conducting many awareness programmes, garden workers are now better informed and report missing cases. Many missing cases are pending at police stations,” said Dhonesh Bhakta, president of the Assam Tea Tribe Students’ Association (ATTSA), Talap branch.
He said, “There is a huge labour crisis in Arunachal Pradesh, and most people in Assam’s tea gardens are below the poverty line (BPL). Ninety per cent of those working in Arunachal Pradesh are from tea garden areas. Most homestays in Arunachal Pradesh employ people from tea garden areas. They work as workers or helpers in the homestays. In many cases, they are trafficked through agents. Sometimes, they get trapped there and cannot return home.”
“The wages in tea gardens are very low. A permanent worker gets Rs 250 daily, which is not enough to support a family. Due to poverty, unemployment and lack of education, human trafficking cases are rising, and children from tea garden areas are often easy targets for human traffickers. Agents and middlemen are the main links in the human trafficking network, and they usually stay in the same locality. They track everything, and if they find that a family is poor, they trap the parents with false promises, mislead them and compel them to send their children,” said Bhakta.
“This year, around 70 people, including minors, were rescued from the clutches of human trafficking networks. Arunachal Pradesh has a smaller workforce, and employers take workers from Assam. Most of the time, they do not pay the money they offered earlier and trap the workers. We have achieved 100 per cent rescue so far after FIRs were filed. But in most cases, family members do not file FIRs, and as a result, the police cannot act,” said a senior police officer of Tinsukia.