LAHORE: In a significant breakthrough against child trafficking, a joint operation by the Anti-Kidnap for Ransom Unit (AKRU) of Lahore’s Organised Crime Unit (OCU) and Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK) police rescued 29 kidnapped children from Kotli district.
The children, aged 14-20, were mostly abducted from Lahore’s Hazrat Ali Usman Hajvari shrine and subjected to sexual abuse.
In addition, a joint team raided two rented houses in Kotli, arresting three suspects, including key players in the trafficking gang.
Key suspect Imran, alias ‘Kanpata,’ targeted vulnerable children, handing them over to gang members Nasir and his son Ali. The investigation revealed that the gang lured homeless children with false promises of employment, transporting them to AJK.
The victims faced forced labor, confinement, and sexual exploitation. The traffickers earned Rs75,000-Rs100,000 daily through bonded labor.
According to SSP Kotli Adeel Ahmed Langrial, the police team from Lahore sought assistance in tracking down alleged trafficker Nasir after receiving complaints from victims who had escaped his custody.
Moreover, the team raided the Kashmir Wattan Marriage Hall in Sehnsa and found 15 children employed by Nasir for catering work.
Eight more children were rescued from Nasir’s rented accommodation in Kotli city, where Nasir’s son, Ali Raza, and his clerk, Ali Nawaz, were also apprehended.
Additionally, six children were removed from a public bus arriving from Lahore. The successful raid was a collaborative effort of Lahore police’s and AJK Inspector General Rana Abdul Jabbar.
Lahore OCU DIG Imran Kishwar confirmed the arrests and rescue. SSP Kotli Adeel Ahmed Langrial stated that Lahore police sought assistance in tracking down suspect Nasir, leading to the rescue of 29 children and three accused.
The children were employed in catering work or confined in rented accommodations. Six more children were rescued from a public bus arriving from Lahore, DIG added.
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