Odisha police to launch Operation Smile from Jan

BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha Police has decided to launch ‘Operation Smile-2’ from January 2016 to trace and rescue missing children in the country.

The decision was taken at a meeting at the Crime Branch Headquarters in Cuttack on Wednesday to discuss the successful execution of the operation in 2016 at the police headquarters here. The meeting was held to sensitise the police officials for carrying out the rescue operation of the missing children.

DGP K B Singh along with more than 100 police officials from various districts of the state was present in the meeting.

Crime Branch Additional Director General B.K. Sharma said ‘Operation Smile-2’ will be implemented in two phases.

The first phase will start from January 1 to 15 within Odisha while the second phase will begin from January 16 to 31 outside Odisha, he added.

Ten police teams have been constituted for the special drive. Each team will comprise of a minimum of five police personnel at least two of whom would be lady police officers.

Odisha Police has preliminary information on about 2,500 missing children from the state. Based on the information, the Crime Branch sleuths would visit different places to rescue them.

“Police have also obtained information about missing Odia children outside the state in places including Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Bangalore, Delhi, Mumbai, and Nasik. The children have been traced in temples, brick kilns, orphanages, children homes, etc.,” said Sharma.

Around 30, 000 children were rescued across the country under ‘Operation Smile-1’. In Odisha, police have rescued 900 children.