HYDERABAD: Around 2,617 children were rescued from child trafficking under a month-long operation to trace and rescue missing children. About 676 children were rescued by the Cyberabad police alone and the rest were rescued under Operation Smile-IX.
Based on the profile of children, potential ‘black spots’ were identified and 40 children were rescued from the street, 109 children from begging, 1,531 from child labour and 22 boys and one girl were rescued from brick kilns.
“Apart from brick kilns, children are usually employed in mechanic and kirana shops, construction sites and hotels,” said an official from the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU).
The operation was taken up under the supervision of the Women Safety Wing (WSW) of the Telangana police, 753 police personnel in coordination with the Women Development and Child Welfare Department, Labour, Health, Child Welfare Committees (CWC), District Child Protection Units, and non-governmental organisations of concerned districts.
In one such incident, Vedang’s (name changed) parents approached Chandanagar police station under the Cyberabad Commissionerate to file a missing complaint on July 1. Their nine-year-old hearing and speech-impaired son who had gone out to play had not returned home.
The Miyapur police traced the missing boy through DARPAN facial recognition application and found him at a Child Care Institute (CCI). Statistics released by the WSW reveal that 387 children have been admitted to rescue homes.