Uttarakhand Police has rescued 264 missing children from various districts during the second avtar of “Operation Smile” that was launched from July 1 for a month in the State — an achievement on the part of the police that is facing flak for failing to rein in on the prowling criminals.
Out of them, 219 were handed over to their respective family members. A total of 45 children who were rescued from various parts of the state have been sent to child rehabilitation centres. “We are elated with the success. It gives us immense pleasure in re-uniting the hapless children with their families. We would leave no stone unturned to bring smile on the faces of those who are yet to be thus reunited,” said State DGP, BS Sidhu. A report received from the police headquarters revealed that four missing children were rescued from Almora district while six from Pithoragarh, 11 from Bageshwar, 14 from Udham Singh Nagar, 15 from Nainital, 16 from Rudraprayag, 49 from Haridwar, 44 from Dehradun, 30 from Uttarkashi, 28 from Tehri Garhwal, 22 from Chamoli, 16 each from Champawat Rudraprayag and 15 from Nainital.
At the district levels, the teams formed for the purpose were deployed in various places inside the state as well as outside to trace and rescue the missing children.
Investigation revealed that FIRs of missing children were registered in 53 cases in the police stations concerned located across the state while 35 cases were reported from other parts of the country.
In Dehradun district, out of 44 cases, reports on nine such cases were registered in vaiorus police stations while regarding 31 cases, no report was lodged in the police stations concnered. Thirteen children were sent to child rehabilition centres while the remaining were sent to their respective families.
Seventeen children were recovered from Haridwar, five from Tehri Garhwal, four from Nainital, four each from Bageshwar and Almora, three each from Pauri Garhwal and Pithoragarh and two each from Uttarkashi and Dehradun districts, it is learnt.