Rachakonda Police rescue 2,479 child labourers in month-long operation

As part of Operation Muskaan-XI, Rachakonda Police rescued 2,479 children found working in hazardous and exploitative conditions across the Commissionerate limits. The month-long drive led to the registration of 530 FIRs and 1,621 GD entries against employers and management, resulting in the arrest of 556 persons.

The operation was carried out by the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU), divisional Muskaan teams, Law and Order police stations, Special Branch, SOT, and various line departments. It focused on tracing missing children and identifying minors engaged in labour, begging or other unsafe conditions. A total of nine divisional teams conducted inspections at commercial units, bus and railway stations, construction sites, mechanic shops, and other suspected locations.

Rachakonda Police Commissioner G. Sudheer Babu said that among the 2,479 children rescued, 2,353 were boys and 126 were girls. “A total of 1,077 children were from Telangana, 133 from Andhra Pradesh, and 1,269 from states like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. Twelve children were found to be from Nepal. Of the total, 109 were under 14 years of age, while 2,370 were above 14,” said the officer.

Children were found working in brick kilns, borewell sites, construction areas, poultry farms, glass workshops, hardware shops, mechanic sheds, bangle manufacturing units, and car washing centres. Many had dropped out of school and were later enrolled in primary education or vocational training with the help of the Education Department.

The highest number of searches under the Darpan platform, 45,321, were also recorded in Telangana during this operation. Rachakonda Police emerged as the top-performing unit in both Telangana and across the country.

Including Operation Smile-XI and Operation Muskaan-XI, the Commissionerate has rescued a total of 3,550 children and registered 1,002 FIRs this year.

Police have urged citizens to report instances of child labour by dialling 100, 112 or 1098.