Cyberabad Police rescued 1,202 children during Operation Smile-XII, a special month-long drive conducted in January to trace missing children and identify minors engaged in child labour, begging and other vulnerable situations across the commissionerate limits.
The operation, carried out from January 1 to January 31, focused on rescuing children from exploitative conditions such as child labour, rag-picking and street begging, while also tracing missing children. A total of 11 teams were formed division-wise, each comprising a Sub-Inspector, three police constables and a woman police constable, along with personnel from the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit. The teams conducted inspections at industries, companies, shops and other establishments, in addition to special drives targeting children forced into begging. Details of rescued children were uploaded on the Darpan App for documentation and follow-up.
Police said that of the 1,202 children rescued, 1,161 were boys and 41 were girls. A majority of cases involved child labour, with 1,192 children found working in various establishments. Five children were rescued from begging, four were identified as street children and one case of illegal adoption was detected during the operation.
Of the total rescued, 850 children were from within Telangana, while 352 belonged to other states. Children from Bihar formed the largest group among those from outside the state with 227 children, followed by Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Rajasthan, Karnataka and West Bengal. Nineteen children were identified as being from Nepal. After verification and counselling, 1,179 children were handed over to their parents or guardians, while 23 were sent to shelter homes for care and rehabilitation.
During the operation, the police registered 356 cases under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015, and the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2016. In 115 missing children cases, photographs were uploaded on the Darpan App to aid tracing and reunification efforts.
Published – February 05, 2026 06:54 pm IST
