AHMEDABAD: A Class 7 girl who disappeared while travelling to school in Khambhat was traced within hours after Gujarat Police deployed its Vishwas Face-2 CCTV network and digital surveillance tools.
Her safe recovery was among 42 missing children traced across Gujarat between July 1 and July 28 during Operation Surakshit Cyber Space, highlighting the growing use of technology driven policing in child protection.
The girl, a Class 7 student, had left her home in Khodiyar Nagar Society on her bicycle for Khambhat Nagrik Sahakari Bank Primary School in Anand district.
However, when she failed to reach the school, her class teacher immediately informed her parents, prompting a police response.
The family approached the Khambhat City Police, after which investigators began examining available CCTV footage via the Vishwas Face-2 network and other digital surveillance tools.
The technology driven investigation quickly narrowed the search, allowing police to locate the girl within hours.
She was found safe along with her bicycle and was subsequently reunited with her family.
The case highlights how Gujarat Police is increasingly combining conventional policing with CCTV analytics, digital surveillance and cyber enabled investigation to respond to missing person cases, particularly those involving children.
The Khambhat rescue was not an isolated success. Between July 1 and July 28, Gujarat Police traced 42 missing children across the state using cyber tools, CCTV analytics and other technological interventions during its month long statewide campaign, Operation Surakshit Cyber Space.
Additional Director General of Police, CID Crime (Women Cell), Gujarat, Ajay Choudhary, said the campaign was launched with the broader objective of strengthening cyber policing while giving particular attention to the safety of women and children.
“Under the guidance of Director General of Police G.S. Malik, Gujarat Police launched the statewide ‘Operation Surakshit Cyber Space’ to improve cyber awareness, strengthen preventive measures, crack down on cyber offenders and enhance the quality of cybercrime investigations, with a special focus on protecting women and children in cyberspace,” Choudhary said.
He added that the technology driven approach had produced tangible results in missing child cases.
“During the campaign, 42 missing children were successfully traced using cyber tools and various technological interventions,” he said.
The campaign was implemented by CID Crime and Railways under the guidance of Dr K.L.N. Rao, Director General of Police, CID Crime and Railways, with police stations across Gujarat participating in the statewide exercise.
Rather than being limited to crime detection, the operation was structured around four thematic phases, combining investigation, prevention and public awareness.
The campaign sought to strengthen cybercrime investigations while simultaneously educating citizens about the growing risks associated with the digital ecosystem.
Police teams conducted awareness programmes and outreach sessions and used social media campaigns to spread information about online fraud, digital safety, cyber hygiene and responsible internet use.
The Khambhat case also illustrated the operational value of the campaign beyond cybercrime alone.
The Gujarat Police initiative also signals a broader shift in policing, with technology being used not merely as a post crime investigative tool but also as an early response mechanism for locating vulnerable people and preventing cases from worsening.
With 42 missing children traced during the campaign, Gujarat Police has positioned technology-enabled surveillance as a key component of child protection, while the wider Operation Surakshit Cyber Space seeks to make citizens more alert, informed and resilient against emerging digital threats.