In India, a pair of police officers have reunited 104 children and minors with their families in just 9 months, the Times of India reports.
Head constables Seema Devi and Suman Hooda of Delhi Police Outer North District, have been lauded for their accomplishment with the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (ATHU).
“We don’t have fixed duty hours. Whenever we receive information about missing kids, we just leave our homes,” Hooda told the Times. “There are days when I don’t see my kids,” she smiled.
Their marathon of cases took them across northern India’s states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Haryana, dealing with bad photographs, reticent locals, unfamiliar locations, and language barriers.
Under the banner of Operation Milap, the searches took place between March, when Hooda joined the AHTU, and November.
At times they’ve dealt with cases where the child hasn’t been seen in years, and outdated photographs have been the officers’ only lead, which is when they typically have to conduct door-to-door searches with the help of willing locals—even beggars, in one instance.
At other times they’ve relied on the cyber division to track mobile phone locations, and walked across wide rural distances in completely unknown locales.
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“We have walked for kilometers because of lack of transportation in such areas. Many people are ready to help us, but there are also those who think assisting police can lead to legal trouble,” said Hooda.
During the operation, most of the cases were down to elopement, drug addiction, or insufficient parental care.
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“We are extremely proud of the exceptional work done by Seema and Suman in Operation Milap. Their achievement reinforces our resolve to combat child trafficking and guard our communities,” said the Director General of Delhi Police, Nidhin Valsan.
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