KURIGRAM. Apr 3: One hundred and fifty children between the ages of 10 and 15. taken from impoverished families in shoal areas by agents ol an international child and women traffickers' chain are believed to have been sent across the border Wednesday night, reports UNB.

The children were gathered at Gauhar Park under the cover of darkness Wednesday night and taken to mi unknown destination In trucks, residents said.

Sources said the traffickers, with the help of local agent Khalil of Pateshwari, Kurigram Sadar thana, lured the poor boys with promises of employment hi factories in Chittagong. They were brought from Velakopa. old rail station para. HariKesh in the suburbs of Kurigram town and Chargram. Panchgachhi. Kadamtala. Ja-trapur. Jogdaha and Vogdanga char (shoal) areas across the Dharala river, in most cases without the knowledge of their parents. •

The anxious parents were searching their children. They

caught Khalil when he went to Velakopa to collect more children on Friday. Khalil Is re-ported to have told the villagers the children were sent to work in '22 thousand field factories and GR Steel Company' in Shi-talpur under Sitakunda thana. Khalil then fled Velakopa.

Identity of twenty-one of the children believed to have been shipped across the border was known. They are Tajul, Hakku Mia, Jalil. Minutu, Yeasin, Nurnabi, Lal Mia, Mlthu. Dukhu. Shukhu. Mizanur. Ashraf. Bipul. Noor. Shipan. Alam. Nayan. Ayenul. Knurshed. RafiquI and Mokbul.

Rafiqul Islam, commissioner of Kurigram Pourasava mid a resident of Velakopa. said the children were kidnapped by taking advantage of their poverty.

The headmaster of Velakopa Primary School said three students have been missing since Wednesday.

Officer-in-charge of sadar thana. Sadnil Islam, said he did not know anything about the Incident.