Missing children found cases online

Cops network to trace the missing

Thane police rope in NGOs, Child Welfare Committee to help them solve cases faster

Alarmed by the number of people who went missing in 2013, the Thane police have stepped up efforts to trace them.

More than 4,000 people have gone missing in 2013 as per cases registered in police stations across Thane. The Thane police will upload the missing persons’ pictures on a social networking site to create awareness and solve the cases with help from people.

Besides, the police have joined hands with non-governmental organisations from Mumbai, Thane and rural areas who will help trace the missing. “We started the initiative a month ago. We are taking help of NGOs and child welfare committee members,” Ravindra Singal, additional commissioner of police (crime), Thane.

In the past one month, the police held two meetings in which more than 22 heads of NGOs and Child Welfare Committee (CWC) attended. “We decided to upload the missing persons’ picture on the social networking site of the Thane police and NGOs. This will help us solve cases faster,” said Singal.

The police have also formed a WhatsApp group get day-to-day updates. “We keep uploading pictures and details related to cases,” he added.

It was decided that members of NGOs and CWC, too, create a WhatsApp group to post the developments. Every committee or NGOs is involved in different issues such as child trafficking, begging and child trafficking for sexual abuse.

“We will ensure that NGOs and police check the status of children in homes for beggars and children to trace their identity and reach their parents,” added Singal.

The website www.trackthemissingchild.org will have pictures of children found and those missing. “We have prepared a list of 22 children found in Thane. Our team has traced the address of 11 children — 10 are from Maharashtra and one from Nepal. We are trying to send them back to the family. Most of them were found at Thane and Kalyan stations,” said Meenal Thakore, chairperson of CWC, Thane district.

“In around 20% cases, parents file a report with the police about their missing children. But after they are found, they don’t update this with the police,” said Singal.