Unakoti District Superintendent of Police Sudhambika R on Thursday confirmed that 24 youths reported missing from the district have been safely rescued from Arunachal Pradesh following a coordinated inter-state police operation.

According to the SP, a woman lodged a complaint yesterday alleging that 24 youths had gone missing from Unakoti district. Acting swiftly, the police registered an FIR and initiated an investigation. 

During the probe, the police traced the movement of the missing youths to Arunachal Pradesh, where their location was identified in Siang district.

After confirming their whereabouts, Unakoti Police immediately contacted the Superintendent of Police and the Officer-in-Charge of the concerned police station in Siang district. Acting on this information, Arunachal Pradesh Police promptly launched a rescue operation and safely recovered all 24 youths.

SP Sudhambika R further stated that the Director General of Police (DGP) of Tripura personally spoke with the DGP of Arunachal Pradesh to ensure smooth coordination during the rescue. “All the youths are safe. A special team from Tripura Police will leave tomorrow to bring them back,” she said, adding that further investigation is underway to determine how and under what circumstances the youths were taken to Arunachal Pradesh.

Earlier, Tripura Labour Minister Tinku Roy had written to Arunachal Pradesh’s Minister for Labour and Employment, Nyato Dukam, seeking urgent intervention for the rescue and safe repatriation of around 24 child labourers allegedly trafficked from Tripura.

In his letter, Roy emphasized that the engagement of children as labour is strictly prohibited under law and constitutes a serious violation of human rights and dignity. He informed that a case was registered at Kailashahar Police Station in Unakoti district following reports that nearly 30 child labourers, along with a few adults, were taken from Rangrung Tea Garden and another tea estate in the Kalishasan area of Kailashahar to Arunachal Pradesh.

According to the complaint, the labourers were lured with false promises of wages and benefits but were later denied their lawful entitlements. Family members have alleged that the children were subjected to ill-treatment and forced to live in inhuman conditions, causing severe mental distress and anxiety.

“The families are in deep anguish and are desperately seeking the safe and early return of their loved ones,” Roy stated, underscoring the gravity of the issue and the humanitarian concerns involved.

Family members said the incident began on December 9, 2025, when several youths and minors from the Kalishasan and Rangrung tea plantation areas under Rangrung Gram Panchayat in Unakoti district went missing. The victims reportedly left their homes while their family members were away at work in the tea gardens.