Haryana Police has reunited four missing children, including two deaf and speech-impaired children, with their families.

Giving this information on Wednesday, a Haryana Police spokesperson said the Anti Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) of its Crime Branch traced these missing children, who went missing for one or another reason from Haryana, Bihar and Chhattisgarh.

“AHTU teams are in touch with children’s homes in all states. As and when police learn about a missing child, we counsel them and put in special efforts to get positive results. Efforts are on to trace as many missing children not only in the state but also across the country,” he added.

In the first case, police traced a boy (who is unable to hear and speak) ~ a resident of Ulhasnagar, Gurugram, who went missing since November 2019 ~ in a Shelter Home in Nazafgarh, Delhi. Based on some information provided, a video clip and a photo of the child was sent through WhatsApp and the family recognised the child as their own. In another case, a 13-years-old child, who was reported missing from Gurugram since 2018 and living at Children Home, Cannaught Place, Delhi, was reunited with his family.

The boy had informed only about his father’s name, a native of Darjeeling in West Bengal. During the course of counselling, it was found the child’s mother works in Gurugram. The boy was handed over to the mother after completing required formalities.

In a separate case, a missing girl child (14), who went missing from district Katihar (Bihar) since September 2019, was traced and reunited with her family on January 15, 2021. Police took orders from authorities concerned in Fazilka in Punjab and handed it over to family members.

The AHTU teams had also reunited another deaf and speech-impaired child aged 13, who was reported missing from Raipur in Chhattisgarh since February 2020. An FIR to this effect was lodged in a police station of Gariaband district.

Police team made special efforts and traced his parents. Haryana Police had traced 1716 missing children in 2020 and handed them over to their families in different parts of the country. Among the traced missing children, 771 are boys and 945 are girls.

Some of these children had been missing for a long time. Haryana Police has also tracked and rescued 1189 child beggars and 1941 child labourers during the year. These children were found either working in shops or doing odd jobs for their livelihood.