NEW DELHI: In 2014, 7,572 children went missing in Delhi. Although police were able to trace 5,695 children, 1,877 are yet to be found.
To track organised gangs involved in the kidnapping children and pushing them into begging, Delhi Police has installed biometric machines to identify beggars in the city. Once detained, beggars will be taken to Sewa Kutir in Kingsway Camp where their fingerprints and photographs will be recorded in a database.
Police will have direct access to the data, which will be under the Department of Social Welfare. The data will be produced before beggar courts and will help identify repeat offenders. The biometric system was initiated by Y S Dadwal while he was police commissioner.
Police have caught as many as 2,960 beggars at traffic signals till September this year. The biometric system will help police in catching ones who return to the streets after rehabilitation.