The Kovai police are all set to begin an intensive drive to trace missing children
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Coimbatore: The Kovai police are all set to begin an intensive drive to trace missing children from today as part of a pan India project. As part of the month-long initiative titled ‘Operation Muskan’, the city police will start a search for children who had gone missing over the last 10 years.
There are 12 children (below 17 years of age), who are yet to be traced in the last 10 years in the city limits. Similarly 13 children have gone missing in the rural limits. In Hindi, Muskan means smile. And this operation is expected to bring the blissful smile back on the children’s faces.
“Cases of missing children filed in the last 10 years will be taken up and fresh initiatives will be taken to trace them. In some cases, the children would have returned home, but their parents wouldn’t have informed police,” said deputy commissioner of police (crime) R.V.Ramya Bharathi.
The deputy commissioner pointed out that two years ago, two boys, both aged 14 and studying class nine left their homes as their parents did not permit them to rear pet dogs. The Ramanthapuram police, following an intensive search, traced them and reunited them with their parents. The cops, in a goodwill move and to fulfill their desire had gifted two Pomeranian dogs to them.
“There are children like them, who would have left their houses for reasons that may vary from academic pressure, family problems, unfulfilled desire, elopement and trafficking in rarest of the rare case,” said city police commissioner A.K. Viswanathan.
The police will also screen children being raised in railway junctions and homes to know their details and if they are staying without the knowledge of their parents. A search will also be conducted in bakeries and brick-kiln units, where children are employed and they would be rescued into safety.
All details of those children will be collected and posted in ‘Missing Child’ portal of ministry of women and child welfare department to track missing children. A similar drive, Operation Smile was done by city police in January this year to search missing children following a directive by the Supreme Court.
“A cop, who had been deputed in each of the police station to handle missing children will liaison with other required departments and hold searches in their jurisdiction,” said CoP Viswanathan.
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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