648 children rescued in Malkajgiri’s Operation Muskan in July

Among the children rescued, 262 are from Telangana, and the remaininh 386 belong to other states.

Hyderabad: As many as 648 children trapped in child labour, begging or who went missing were rescued by the Malkajgiri police during a month-long Operation Muskan conducted from July 1 to 31.

Among the children rescued, 262 are from Telangana, and the remaining 386 belong to other states. As part of the initiative, eight special teams worked in coordination with the anti-human trafficking unit of the Malkajgiri Commissionerate to rescue the children.

The children were rescued from factories, hotels, workshops, construction sites, and commercial establishments. As part of the operation, special inspections were carried out at 36 hotspots, and 5,828 searches were conducted through the DARPAN application across 54 Child Care Institutions (CCIs).

Security audits were also performed to assess aspects such as child safety, welfare, closed-circuit television cameras coverage, and medical facilities.

Awareness programmes conducted

As part of Operation Muskan, the Malkajgiri police conducted 97 awareness programmes on the eradication of child labour, reaching 2,210 traders, business owners, and workers. 205 FIRs and 390 General Diary (GD) entries were registered against those employing child labourers, and 205 employers or their representatives were arrested.

Following the operation, Malkajgiri Commissioner of Police, B Sumathi, said, “Children should hold books in their hands, not tools. It is the responsibility of the entire society to ensure a safe and dignified childhood for every child.”