Police rescued two young boys as they were being trafficked to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and arrested four members of a child trafficking ring on 24 May in Cooch Behar district, West Bengal, India.

Akhtar Mian, aged four, and Mrinal Sarkar, aged six, were taken from Bangladesh to India en route to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to be child camel jockeys. According to police, the traffickers had already kidnapped 22 children from Bangladesh and India, all of whom were under ten years old, and sent them in groups of eight to a number of Arab countries.

Upendra Nath Sarkar, his son Nayan Sarkar, Majidul Haque and Nitai Das are being held and questioned; police are looking for two more members of the group.

The use of child jockeys is prohibited in the UAE. Camel races are extremely dangerous and can result in serious injury and even death; there is also evidence of mistreatment and torture of camel jockeys by their employers. Last year the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office raised its concerns with the UAE Government over a four-year-old camel jockey who suffered 'serious abuse' from his employer for 'under performing'. In April, Nazmul Hossain, a 7-year-old boy trafficked from Bangladesh to the UAE, died after his kidneys were damaged.