A total of 188 missing children were rescued under the ‘Operation Smile’ drive by police teams formed in various districts of the State between January 1 and January 31, 2015. The Uttarakhand Director-General of Police, BS Sidhu, had launched the month-long ‘Operation Smile’ on January 1. Of the rescued, 164 children were handed over to their families while 24 were sent to the child protection centre.
In the first phase spanning from January 1 to 14, 2015, seven teams consisting of four policemen and one inspector in each were tasked to search and rescue the persons who went missing from various places, including temples, tourist spots, hotels, dhaba and industries located in various districts of the State.
In the second phase, 40 teams were formed and they were deployed in various parts of the country to rescue the missing children. The teams were also directed to work in conjunction with other departments and social welfare organisations, to successfully complete their assigned works, it is learnt.
Parents protest at SSP office
Dehradun: Irked over police inaction to search their missing children, parents of two such children protested at SSP office along with local residents of Vivek Vihar, Jakhan on Wednesday and demanded police to take measures to rescue them. 12- year old Sagar, son of Brijpal and 18 year old Vinay, son of Jagdish have been missing from their homes since February 10.