Bhubaneswar, September 10 (Daily Kiran) : Odisha Police has successfully located 101 missing children from the state as part of their initiative, Operation Anveshan. This extensive operation took place between August 28 and September 8, 2026.
The announcement was made by Shiny S, the Additional Director General of Police for the Crime Against Women and Children Wing. The operation aimed to trace children missing from Odisha who were believed to be in other states.
Seventeen specialized teams were deployed to various states and Union Territories where Odisha’s children are often found. These states included Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, New Delhi, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal.
The police teams conducted ground searches, verified information, and collaborated with local authorities and various Child Care Institutions (CCI) throughout the operation.
Among the 101 children found, there were 54 boys and 47 girls. The youngest child rescued was just three months old, living in an institution with their minor mother. The child who had been away from home the longest had spent over five years in an institution.
Of the rescued children, 83 (46 boys and 37 girls) were located in Child Care Institutions, while seven others (six boys and one girl) were rescued from commercial labor sites. Additionally, 11 children (two boys and nine girls) were found based on previously reported missing persons cases from Odisha.
The highest number of recoveries occurred in West Bengal, where 30 children were found, followed by Karnataka with 11, and both Jharkhand and Tamil Nadu with 10 each.
All recovered children have either returned home or are in the process of being formally reintegrated and rehabilitated in Odisha. Mrinalini Darswal, the Commissioner and Secretary of the Odisha Women and Child Development Department, actively supported the police efforts, while the department’s legal and probation officers provided essential assistance during the operation.
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