The Navi Mumbai police’s Anti Human Trafficking Unit has rescued seven runaway children and reunited seven lost children with their parents as part of Operation Muskan. In the first week of December, the unit rescued three minor girls who ran away from their homes with men who lured them with the promise of marriage.
Lured away from home
In one case, a 17-year-old girl from Ulwe, who had gone missing on December 1, was rescued from a house in Panvel on December 14. In another case, a 16-year-old girl from Nerul, who had gone missing on December 13, was rescued the following day. Two months ago, in another incident, a 17-year-old girl went missing with a youth on October 16 and was traced to Gonda in Uttar Pradesh and the Nepal border. When the police reached the spot, they received information that the duo had made their way back to Kharghar. Senior police inspector Anand Chavan said, “We found the girl in Kharghar and arrested the youth. After medical tests, relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act will be added to the case.”
On November 30, a 17-year-old boy went missing from his house in Belapur and the NRI police filed a kidnapping case. Mr. Chavan said, “The boy had learnt that his father was planning to remarry. He grew upset over this and left his home. He once called his father from an unknown number, but did not speak. We suspected it could have been him and traced the location to Mirkarvada in Ratnagiri.” The officials then circulated the boy’s picture in Mirkarvada and with help from locals found the boy working in a boat after two days. He was then handed over to his father.
On December 6, the unit found two boys aged 11 and 12 crying at Belapur station. The boys wanted to see Kharghar and left home after their parents went to work. However, they lost their way. Mr. Chavan said, “They could only recall that they stayed in Belapur village. We took them there and found their house.”
Found at railway stations
On December 11, two girls aged 10 and 11, along with a 11-year-old boy, were found crying at Juinagar station. Police sub inspector Sanjay Kshirsagar said, “They had lost way and said their parents stayed in hutments near Sanpada flyover. While taking them home, we found two siblings aged four and six crying who had come from Mankhurd in search of their parents, who sold flowers at Juinagar station. We made three teams: one to find the parents of three children in Sanpada, and two to look for the parents of the siblings. After verifying the Aadhaar cards and birth certificates, we handed over the children to their parents.”
