674 children were rescued and 189 persons arrested during Operation Smile-XII conducted across the Malkajgiri commissionerate limits in January.
| Photo Credit: By Arrangement
As many as 674 children were rescued and 189 persons arrested during Operation Smile-XII conducted across the Malkajgiri commissionerate limits in January, in a major crackdown on child labour and the exploitation of minors in hazardous occupations.
The month-long operation, carried out from January 1 to January 31, focused on tracing missing children and identifying minors employed as child labourers or engaged in hazardous work. Seven divisional teams were formed under the commissionerate, each comprising a sub-inspector and four police constables, including a woman police constable, along with personnel from the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit. The teams conducted inspections across industrial units, companies, commercial establishments and other workplaces.
Police said all rescued children were produced before the concerned Child Welfare Committees for further care and rehabilitation. During the operation, 186 FIRs were registered and 443 general diary entries were made against managements and employers under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Child and Adolescent Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986, and the Juvenile Justice Act.
Investigators found that several employers had engaged minors for more than nine hours a day, paid informal wages and failed to comply with minimum wage norms. In many cases, children were brought from other States and subjected to exploitative working conditions, which police described as inhuman and in clear violation of labour laws.
Of the rescued children, 376 were from Telangana, 102 from Andhra Pradesh and 189 from other States, including Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal and Jharkhand. Seven children were found to be from Nepal. Officials said the Begumpet divisional Smile Team facilitated the admission of three rescued children into government schools with the support of the Education department.
Police said that child labour is a punishable offence and urged citizens to report any such instances by dialling 100, 112 or the child helpline number 1098.
Published – February 04, 2026 07:09 pm IST
