Hyderabad: A total of 1,413 children were rescued by Hyderabad Police during Operation Muskaan, conducted from July 1 to July 31. Of these, 1,331 were boys and 82 were girls.
Among the rescued children, 828 are from Telangana, while 563 hail from other states across India. Twenty-two children were found to be from Nepal.
The operation was conducted in coordination with the Child Welfare Committee, Labour Department, Department of Women and Child Welfare, Child Line, Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU), Juvenile Bureau (JB) Unit, and various non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
It was aimed at identifying and rescuing children involved in child labour, begging and those in vulnerable conditions on streets and other unsafe environments.
A total of 26 dedicated divisional teams were constituted to conduct inspections and rescue operations at various commercial establishments, traffic junctions, bus stations, railway stations, construction sites, and other hotspots.
Police have registered 64 first information reports (FIRs) in various police stations against employers who were found engaging children in illegal labour practices.
As many as 723 cases have been registered under the Minimum Wages Act, and over Rs 25 lakh has been imposed as a fine against erring employers.
The month-long operation was also conducted within the limits of Cyberabad and Malkajgiri, where 664 and 648 children were rescued, respectively.
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