Bhubaneswar, Sept. 10 (UDN): In a major interstate child-tracing drive, the Odisha Police has rescued 101 missing and trafficked Odia children from 17 states under a special operation aimed at bringing vulnerable children back home and ensuring their rehabilitation.
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The operation, named ‘Operation Anweshan’, was conducted from August 28 to September 8, 2026, by the Crime Against Women & Children Wing of Odisha Police in coordination with the Women and Child Development Department of the state government.
As part of the drive, 17 teams were dispatched to states identified as major destinations where Odia children were found. The teams covered Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, New Delhi, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.
Of the 101 children traced, 54 were boys and 47 were girls.
Police said the operation uncovered children in different circumstances. As many as 83 children—46 boys and 37 girls—were traced from Child Care Institutions (CCIs), while seven children were found at labour sites. Another 11 children—two boys and nine girls—had been reported missing in Odisha, with cases registered in the state.
The youngest child rescued during the operation was just three months old and was found institutionalised along with her minor mother. Another child had reportedly remained institutionalised for more than five years.
West Bengal accounted for the highest number of recoveries, with 30 children traced by a team led by DSP Bamadev Nanda under the supervision of DIG Pinak Mishra, Eastern Range, Balasore.
Karnataka followed with 11 children, traced by a team led by DSP Prasanta Kumar Patra of the Southern Range, Berhampur. Teams headed by DSP Jyotsnarani Behera in Jharkhand and DSP Girijanandan Pattnaik in Tamil Nadu traced 10 children each.
Following their recovery, all the children have either been repatriated to Odisha or are in the process of being brought back for reintegration and rehabilitation.
Legal-cum-Probation Officers from the Women and Child Development Department provided support during the operation. The initiative was also backed by Dr Mrinalini Darswal, IAS, Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Women and Child Development Department.
The successful interstate drive highlights the importance of coordinated policing and inter-departmental efforts in tracing missing children, preventing trafficking and ensuring that vulnerable children are safely reunited with their families and communities.