Imphal, April 1: A school headmistress here was arrested last night for torturing children, including a six-year-old boy from Sikkim, who had been working as domestic helps at her house.

Narmada Rana was arrested after the Child Welfare Committee (CWC), Imphal West, had lodged a complaint with police yesterday afternoon.

Rana, charged with cruelty to juveniles and wrongful confinement of children, was today remanded in police custody till Saturday.

Childline Imphal, an NGO, had rescued the six-year-old Jack from Sikkim and five-year-old Anjali of Ukhrul district in Manipur from the house of the headmistress here during a raid on March 27.

The raid followed the rescue of a seven-year-old girl, Rai (names of all children changed), Anjali’s sister, from the Nongmeibung area of Imphal East the previous day.

Rana, 51, runs a private school called Narmada English School in the locality. She originally hails from Sikkim and has been staying in Manipur for 30 years.

During interrogation, Rana revealed that a Sikkim police inspector, Vishal Rai of Renauk, East Sikkim, had sent Jack to her three years’ back.

“The child has forgotten the names of his parents and the place where they live in Sikkim,” N. Jibanmala Devi, member-secretary of Imphal West CWC, said today.

The three children were medically examined at the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences here yesterday. The examination showed evidence of several forms of cruelty.

“There are several scars and wound marks on their bodies. Anjali had a fractured left forearm, while Jack bears burn injuries on his buttocks,” Mala Lisam, centre co-ordinator of Childline Imphal, said.

The police have decided to get in touch with their Sikkim counterparts to trace the boy’s parents.