2,814 children rescued during Operation Smile

The Telangana State police rescued 2,814 children, including 2,421 boys and 393 girls, in January under Operation Smile during the ninth phase. Operation Smile is conducted every year in January to trace and rescue missing and trafficked children. 

Additional DGP of Women Safety Wing Shikha Goel said that since the launch of the programme, the teams rescued vulnerable children from railway stations, bus stations, religious places, traffic junctions, mechanic shops, brick industries, building construction areas, shops, tea stalls, footpaths, etc,.

“Of the total 2,814 children, 760 were rescued by the Cyberabad police teams. We have handed over 2,467 children to their parents/guardians and admitted 347 into rescue homes. Of them, 872 were from other States and 161 were rescued from the streets, while 1,401 were rescued from bonded labour, 203 from brick kilns, 119 while seeking alms, and 930 others from other employment. We also registered 391 FIRs under various sections of laws involving 403 accused persons, out of whom 390 were arrested on the same day,” the official said.