On the second day of Operation Mukti, all four teams of anti-human trafficking units started collecting information on beggars especially children in Dehradun. In the first phase of this campaign field units are to observe and collect information about the child beggars. The basic idea is to identify the reason behind them begging. Field units have been briefed to collect information about them on certain parameters such as their family background, their routine and behavior, adults accompanying them and their way of begging.
Circle Officer (city) and Nodal Officer of the campaign Shekhar Suyal said, “Our teams on Thursday have started collecting information about the beggars. It is a time taking process, which is why we are keeping 15 days target.”
He further added, “Some of our members spoke to five-seven child beggars some spoke to only two. They are collecting specific information about the children and their family background.”
It is important to mention here that most of the children who are found begging on the roads of Dehradun are from other places. In fact, among the 87 children that Uttarakhand Police handed over to Child Welfare Committee during the drive conducted in the month of February-March this year, not one child beggar was from Uttarakhand, which made it difficult for the authorities concerned to verify about their families. To enhance the rehabilitation phase, Uttarakhand police through this campaign will conduct police to police verification too.
Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Ridhim Aggarwal said, “Verification is an ongoing process. We will be verifying about the background of the identified child beggars even after the observation phase. To ascertain truth of information provided to us by parents of these children, we may also conduct police to police verification. In case there is some suspicious adult carrying a toddler and begging or simply accompanying child beggars we will conduct DNA tests.”