Chennai, February 16, 2010: It was a happy moment for the 77 children from the Northeast, who were rescued from a home in Kanyakumari district, as they were preparing to leave Chennai for home by rail on Monday.

If there was anybody who was not smiling, it was Alka, 40.She met the children hoping against hope that she would find two of her relative's wards - a son and a daughter - who were kidnapped in Shillong in 2006. Armed with photographs of Sachit Goyal and Harsha Goyal, who should be in 10 and eight years now, Alka interacted with the members of the Manipur Child Welfare Committee, asking them if the duo was part of the rescued children.

To the stunned Manipur CWC members, Alka explained that Sachit and Harsha were the children of a North Indian couple settled in Meghalaya."We are searching for them across the country.

I came here to just check out if they are in this group,'' Alka said.

K Maharabi Singh, a member of the Manipur CWC, who brought the 74 children - 52 Manipuris and 22 Assamese - from Tirunelveli, where they were kept after the rescue, to Chennai said that the situation in north eastern States is pathetic.

He said 16 more Manipuri children, including nine girls, were yet to be traced.

The rescued children had told him that trafficker Paul had brought these 16 children along with them from Manipur.

Maharabi Singh said 23 Manipuri girls, who were sent to Bangalore by Paul, were rescued from a centre for Girl Children and Women in Crisis and South Korean Church, Bangalore.

"Paul brought this children to the home in April 2009,'' said Maharabi.

He said they would first take home the 77 children, including three Manipuri children rescued recently from Immanuel custody, while a probe team would go to Bangalore.

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