Silchar: A local restaurant owner was, on Thursday, produced before a local court and remanded in 15-day judicial custody in a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and anti-trafficking laws.Udharbond police in Cachar district registered a case against the accused after three young women, including a 16-year-old minor, were rescued from his restaurant’s premises late on Tuesday night.The police action followed an official FIR lodged by the mother of the missing minor. In her complaint, the mother alleged that her daughter was held captive at the hotel since March 2026 and was forced into illicit activities. She added that the establishment functioned as a hub for commercial sexual exploitation and immoral trafficking under the direct supervision of the accused.Additional SP (Cachar) Rajat Kumar Pal said the investigation has escalated significantly. Authorities have invoked Sections 96 and 127 of the BNS, along with Sections 4 and 17 of the Pocso Act. To address the allegations of organised exploitation, multiple sections of the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956, have also been slapped on the accused.Community members reportedly played an instrumental role in uncovering the illegal operations. During a press briefing, an anchalik panchayat member expressed strong public support for the police action and demanded a thorough investigation into the hotel’s history of alleged misconduct.The investigation is also expected to widen beyond the trafficking allegations. ASP Pal revealed that the accused was previously linked to an earlier case involving the issuance of fraudulent medical certificates and documents, which allegedly enabled unqualified individuals to masquerade as registered medical practitioners.The police have assured a rigorous probe into the multilayered racket. “We are conducting a comprehensive and strict investigation,” ASP Pal said. “We are looking into every aspect of these allegations, including the medical credential reports. We will ensure that the law is applied strictly and all individuals involved in these illicit activities are held accountable.”
