The Women & Children Safety Wing (W&CSW), in collaboration with the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU), launched ‘Operation Smile-XI’ on January 6, during a convergence meeting held at the Cyberabad Commissionerate. The initiative aims to trace missing children and rescue those forced into begging, rag picking, child labour, trafficking, and bonded labour.

The month-long operation, which ends on January 31, focuses on rescuing and rehabilitating homeless children and those trapped in exploitative conditions. “A total of 11 special teams have been formed, each comprising a Sub-Inspector, four police constables (including one woman constable), to carry out the mission,” said K. Srujana, DCP of W&CSW, Cyberabad. She highlighted the use of Darpan, a facial recognition software, to identify missing and unidentified children who have been separated from their families.

Inspector B. James Babu of the AHTU added that the police have identified hotspots where children are forced into labour based on past data. Teams will work closely with stakeholders to rescue and rehabilitate affected children.