Hans News Service Bhubaneswar

OdishaPolice has rescued 101 children, including 47 girls, from 17 States during ‘Operation Anweshan’, a special drive conducted between August 28 and September 8, a senior officer said on Thursday.

Briefing reporters here, Additional Director General (ADG) and head of the Crime Against Women and Children Wing (CAW&CW) of Odisha Police, S Shyni, said 17 teams were sent to 17 States where Odia children are generally found. “During the operation, 54 boys and 47 girls were traced,” Shyni said.The youngest child rescued was just three months old and was found in a shelter home with her minor mother. The children were rescued from Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, New Delhi, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. Of the 101 children, 83, including 46 boys and 37 girls, were traced from different Child Care Institutions (CCIs), while seven children -- six boys and a girl -- were traced from labour sites, Shyni said.

In addition, 11 children, including nine girls, who had been reported missing and in whose cases FIRs were registered in Odisha, were traced during the operation, she said. According to officials, the highest number of children, 30, were traced from West Bengal, followed by Karnataka with 11 and Jharkhand and Tamil Nadu with 10 each. Of the 101 children, 100 have been repatriated to Odisha for their reintegration and further rehabilitation, Shyni said. One child had to be deboarded from a train midway after falling ill, she added.

Women & Child Development Commissioner-cum-Secretary Mrinalini Darswal proactively supported the police-led campaign, officials said. The operation demonstrated the sustained efforts of Odisha Police, its range teams, district police and other stakeholders to trace missing children beyond the State’s geographical boundaries and facilitate their safe return and rehabilitation. The State government is utilising local District Child Protection Units (DCPUs) and child welfare networks to properly run family background checks, verify guardians, and manage safe re-entries into their communities.