16 tribal kids missing from Chhattisgarh

Ambikapur, Jan 12 (UNI) The Chhattisgarh Police has registered a case of human trafficking following complaints that several children between nine and 14 years of age were missing from tribal villages in Sarguja district's Mainpat region.

The matter came to light after Bisarpani village Panch Omkarnath Yadav informed the local media that 16 children were missing.

Subsequently, he also lodged a police complaint.

After preliminary investigation, the police said that cases were registered under sections 363 and 374 of the Indian Penal Code against Pateram, who belongs to the village and allegedly had connections in Delhi, Mumbai and other major cities. It also came to light that his wife and another woman were staying at Shimla and a police team is being sent to Himachal Pradesh.

It is suspected that human traffickers were active in this region as the people here mostly belong to poor families of the tribal Maghi community and can send their children to work as domestic help in any part of the country.

The police said they received complaints that 12 children from Bisarpani, two from Narmadapur and two girls staying in a hostel were missing from the region.

Locals urged the district administration to undertake a survey of the tribal villages to find out the actual number of children either missing or staying away from parents.

UNI