Kozhikode police help those found wandering in city as part of Operation Swasthi'

KOZHIKODE: The city police and the Santhwanam charitable trust have reunited 21 persons, who were found wandering in the city, with their families. This was done as part of 'Operation Swasthi' launched by the police here a week ago. The initiative was supported by Santhwanam's 'Care.' Nearly 1,700 such people were tracked in the city limits, said City Police Commissioner J. Jayanath.

Vediyammal, 71, from Villupuram in Tamil Nadu, reunited with her family on Monday. The tracked persons, male and female, were brought to Government Model Higher Secondary School premises and given a bath, haircut and dressed up well. The first session of 'Care' was held on January 29 and the next will be on February 11 at the same venue, said trust chairman P.V. Sudheer.

"Our vision is to see that none is abandoned in the street as orphans. Santhwanam had been giving free food and medicines to these people. To take them to mental health centres or other homes, many official and legal hurdles were to be cleared. Such issues are being tackled by the police," he said. The people with mental disabilities are admitted to the Government mental health centre and the rest of them to different shelter homes. Efforts are also being made to get them Aadhaar registration and reunite them with families, said the officials. The police and the CJM help in clearing the legal issues related to the missing people.