In India, two police officers have successfully reunited 104 missing children with their families within a span of just nine months, according to the Times of India. Head constables Seema Devi and Suman Hooda, part of the Delhi Police’s Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU), have received significant recognition for their efforts in this initiative known as Operation Milap.
Hooda shared with the Times, “We don’t have fixed duty hours. Whenever we receive information about missing kids, we just leave our homes,” adding with a smile, “There are days when I don’t see my kids.” Their extensive work has taken them across northern states such as Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Haryana, where they faced numerous challenges including poor-quality photographs, uncooperative locals, unfamiliar territories, and language barriers.
Operation Milap commenced in March when Hooda joined the AHTU and continued through November. The officers often dealt with cases where children had been missing for years, relying on outdated images as their primary leads. This necessitated door-to-door searches with assistance from local residents, including some who were homeless. In other instances, they utilized cyber resources to track mobile phone locations and traversed long distances in rural areas where transportation was scarce. Hooda noted that while many locals were eager to help, some feared that aiding the police could lead to legal complications.
Throughout their operation, the majority of cases involved children who had gone missing due to elopement, drug addiction, or inadequate parental supervision. Delhi Police Director General Nidhin Valsan praised the remarkable achievements of Seema and Suman in Operation Milap, emphasizing their commitment to combating child trafficking and protecting communities.