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Time of India
5 days ago
- Time of India
Cop Launch ‘Operation Shakti' To Bust Human Trafficking Rackets
Nagpur: The Nagpur city police have hit the streets with 'Operation Shakti', a campaign aimed at curbing human trafficking . With the city ranked third in Maharashtra — just behind Mumbai and Pune — in trafficking of women and minors, cops are now tightening the noose with increased surveillance, raids and awareness campaigns. Under Operation Shakti, police will begin crackdowns at hotels, spas, and massage centres suspected of being used as fronts for trafficking. Specially designed plaques displaying emergency helpline numbers (1098, 112, and 1930) along with key messages from the police will be prominently displayed at these locations. These efforts are backed by a detailed Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) aimed at identifying and disrupting trafficking networks. CP Ravinder Singal said, "Trafficking for prostitution, child labour, organ trade, and early marriages must be stopped. In the last two years, we've intensified our work, and Operation Shakti is the result of multiple reviews and encouraging outcomes," said Singal. He highlighted recent operations, including the rescue of five minor girls from the Ganga Jamuna red-light area. "Children, knowingly or unknowingly, become victims, especially through mobile phones and social media. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Live Comfortably: 60m2 prefabricated bungalow for the elderly in Sarandi Pre Fabricated Homes | Search Ads Search Now Undo Often, they don't report these situations. That's why we've started programmes like 'Police Didi' and 'Police Kaka' to build trust and conduct awareness sessions in schools and colleges," he added. Singal also praised the role of the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Government Railway Police (GRP), calling their cooperation essential to intercepting trafficking via trains. "Our goal is zero tolerance, and that requires multi-agency collaboration. Operations like 'Thunder' and 'U-Turn' have already shown major success, including reducing road accident deaths by 70 in the last seven months," he said. Vinita Singal, principal secretary of Food and Civil Supplies and former labour secretary, stressed a holistic four-pronged approach to trafficking: Prevention, protection, prosecution, and partnership. She proposed linking victims' identities via Aadhaar and the Saral database for tracking. She called for better rehabilitation, faster adoption processes, and utilizing vacant seats in ZP, NMC, and Ashram schools to house rescued children. "Breaking the trafficking cycle is possible, we just need to collaborate," she said. Additional CP (Crime) Vasant Pardeshi called the issue deeply socio-economic, pointing out that families themselves are sometimes involved, knowingly or unknowingly. "Victims often follow a one-way track that's hard to escape. Breaking that chain, whether of human trafficking or bonded labour, is critical," Pardeshi said. Additional CP Shivaji Rathod stressed the importance of community awareness. He recalled a case where a girl was lured to Nagpur by relatives under the pretext of education but was later sexually exploited and left to die in a water tank. "We need proactive communication with children and parents. During my tenure as SP, we created dedicated WhatsApp groups in schools as part of the 'Police Didi' outreach," he said.
The Hindu
17-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
41,193 children rescued, 4960 missing women traced under Operation Muskan: CM Fadnavis
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday (July 16, 2025) revealed in the legislative assembly that, under Operation Muskan, 41,193 children were rescued and 4,960 missing women were traced, and 1,364 missing children were traced within a month under Operation Shodh. Calling the issue of missing women a reality, Mr. Fadnavis stated that in one month from April to May, 4960 missing women were traced and came across 106 women and 703 children, who were missing, but the case was registered. Responding to the question of MLC state legislative council Ambadas Danve, Mr. Fadnavis said, 'We are yet to effectively work on this issue, and yet to tap into the issue from the social angle. However, we will also include the missing person issue in 'Police Kaka' and 'Police Didi', which campaign for good touch-bad touch and other initiatives.' Mr. Danve suggested that the government conduct a social study to understand the cause, rather than treating it as a job. 'There are hotspots from where women go missing; these areas lack visible policing. The impact on ground level is only possible if it is seen as a social responsibility. Besides, these issues are to be seen from social angles, including child marriage and sexual violence,' he added. The issue of missing women was raised in the assembly after Shiv Sena (UBT) MLC Sunil Shinde asked for the status of the proposal to 'Track missing women'. 'All states are connected to the Centre's missing women portal. The progress will be used to file a consolidated report,' Mr. Fadnavis responded. Citing Nagpur's case, Mr. Fadnavis said, '5897 women were missing, out of which 5210 were traced. This means 90% of the cases were traced. However, a problem arises in 4 to 5% of cases, which goes on the back burner.' To resolve this issue, Mr. Fadnavis has asked to establish a missing cell at each police station to keep track of these cases and an IPS-level officer to review the work every two months.
Time of India
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
47,000 children and women were tracked in a month under operation Muskan and operation Shodh in Mumbai
Mumbai: Under Operation Muskan, 41,193 children were tracked down, while under Operation Shodh, 4,960 women and 1,364 children were traced, said CM Devendra Fadnavis in the legislative council on Wednesday. All of these missing persons were tracked within a month, he said. He mentioned that a Missing Persons Cell, headed by a lady assistant police inspector, is being set up in every police station. He also stated that the govt plans to increase the number of rehabilitation centres for women and old people who have been tracked. The issue was raised by Shiv Sena (UBT) MLC Sunil Shinde during the question hour. Fadnavis said that under the Police Kaka and Police Didi programme, missing persons will also be included. You Can Also Check: Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai
Time of India
03-05-2025
- Time of India
Pune police fail to trace nearly 40% of people reported missing every year
Pune: Around 40% of the more than 3,000 missing persons complaints filed annually since 2022 have remained unsolved while in the remaining ones, people have either returned home on their own or are traced, senior police officers have told TOI. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now "We consider those as murder cases and continue investigation until the person is located or found," additional commissioner of police (crime) Shailesh Balkawade said. In 2022, as many as 3,445 people were reported missing and the number slightly came down to 3,341 in 2023 and 3,205 in 2024. Of them, 2,875 people were traced in 2022, 2,611 in 2023, and 2,000 in 2024. On March 26, 2023, the father (73) of a city-based cricketer was reported missing at Alankar police station. Later in the day, the septuagenarian, who is suffering from dementia, was found in Mundhwa. In the last three years, police, on an average, have received nearly 600 complaints annually about children below 18 years missing. "If a child is reported missing, we register an FIR of kidnapping as per the Supreme Court guidelines and begin a search. Most of them are located," Balkawade said. Balkawade said they face difficulties in tracing the girls who have eloped because they generally keep their phones switched off and never contact their families until they turn 18. "We have installed complaint boxes in schools, allowing children in distress to write letters to police. We are also conducting counselling sessions through 'Police Kaka' or 'Police Kaku' schemes. Many leave their homes because of the issues related to their academic performance," he said. Police have also found that children want to have their own life and are attracted to big cities like Mumbai, the officer said. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now "By the time they have visited those cities and returned home, their parents shall have reported them missing." In 2022, 662 children were reported missing in the city and the number increased to 731 in 2023 and came down to 630 in 2024. On April 6 this year, Bibvewadi police received a complaint about an eight-year-old girl who went missing while playing in front of her house. With the help of the footage of cameras on the spot, police tracked down her movements and found her sitting at an isolated spot near Yashraj Garden within the locality. A 12-year-old girl from Donje near Sinhagad Fort left her home on April 19, 2024, after picking up an argument with her mother. She was found safe in Ranjangaon by a police team. Shivabhau Pasalkar, founder president of Maharashtra Rajya Missing Group, said the reasons for children going missing differ from those of adults. "Children leave their homes after scolding by parents over issues of friends or studies. Sometimes they think that their parents do not love them, some adolescents elope, and some leave for adventure after watching a series or film. However, majority of them are traced using the location of their mobile phones," Pasalkar said. Elderly people leave due to memory loss, health issues, family issues (their children neglect their needs), or sometimes families abandon them at isolated spots or far-off places and report fake and fabricated missing person's complaints, he said. Pasalkar said people in the earning age bracket — between 25 and 50 — just disappear, leaving behind all electronic gadgets owing to financial issues. "Some borrow money and fail to return it, and some cheat people and flee." Some of the reasons for their return are penitence, after their anger cools down, and an urge to reconcile with their family members, Pasalkar said. Balkawade said, "We are now reviewing all the pending missing complaints, and we will contact each family to see if the person has returned or not."
