Uttarakhand Police rescues 315 children under 'Operation Smile'

Around 315 children, 100 men and 207 women were rescued by the Uttarakhand Police during their two-month-long 'Operation Smile'. This is an initiative taken by the police to rescue the missing children in connection with various First Information Reports (FIRs) lodged at police stations.

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Total of 622 persons rescued in the 'Operation Smile'

The Uttrakhand police informed that during this campaign identification of 24 unidentical bodies was done, out of which 17 deceased persons belonged to Uttrakhand and 7 belonged to other states. The campaign lead by Director General of Police (DGP) Anil Raturi informed that a total of 622 persons were rescued out which all were handed over to their respective families and one was sent to the child protection centre.

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"Of the total 622 rescued persons, 621 were handed over to their families and one was sent to child Protection Home for rehabilitation" Uttrakhand police stated in the press note on Tuesday.

'Operation Smile' and 'Operation Identification' were launched in the state from December 1, 2019, informed Director General, Crime and Law & Order, Uttrakhand Police Ashok Kumar. He added that under the campaign, the missing children, as well as the missing men and women, were searched and handed over to their families. The identification of the dead bodies was also conducted during the operation.

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3,600 children rescued by the Telangana police under 'Operation Smile'

Last week the Telangana police also successfully rescued 3,600 children under their 'Operation Smile'  initiative. Speaking about the drive, Swathi Lakra, IG (Law & Order), Telangana, said: "3600 children were rescued including 2923 boys and 677 girls under Operation Smile-VI that was conducted in the State from January 1 to 31 to rescue/rehabilitate missing children. 411 cases have been registered under various Sections."

The police teams rescued the children from different locations like railway stations, bus stations, religious places, traffic junctions, mechanic shops, brick industries, shops, tea stalls, footpaths, etc. According to the police, 1982 children have been restored to their parents, while 1618 are admitted to rescue homes. Among the rescued children, 1292 are from other States and countries including Nepal and Myanmar. Over 400 cases were registered under various IPC Sections related to crime against children and the Juvenile Justice Act.

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(With inputs from ANI)