Malkajgiri police rescue 648 child labourers in Operation Muskaan-XII
HYDERABAD: Malkajgiri Commissionerate Police cracked down on child labour in July 2026 under Operation Muskaan-XII. Police rescued 648 child labourers and filed 205 cases against employers who hired children. Officers also recorded 390 incidents with help from other government agencies.
Meanwhile, Operation Muskaan-XII focused on finding missing children and rescuing child labourers from unsafe jobs. The teams also helped children who were begging or living in dangerous places. To achieve this, eight Muskaan Teams worked with the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit. Each team had a Sub-Inspector, four constables, and a woman constable. They inspected factories, shops, hotels, workshops, and other businesses. After rescue, police brought the children to Child Welfare Committees for care and support.
During the operation, police filed 209 criminal cases under laws that protect children. They arrested 205 employers for hiring child workers. In many cases, children worked over nine hours a day for very little pay. These children did not get the benefits they deserved under minimum wage laws. Of the 648 rescued, 255 boys and 7 girls were from the state. Another 374 boys and 12 girls came from other states. Overall, this shows that trafficking and migration are still big problems.
Also, Muskaan Teams visited 36 hotspots in the district several times. They rescued children from construction sites, borewell units, welding shops, repair shops, bakeries, stores, and tailoring shops. The teams also checked 54 Child Care Institutions for missing children and those without parents. They used the DARPAN app to help with these checks. Police also looked for security cameras, medical help, and safety rules. In total, the teams completed 5,828 DARPAN searches during these visits.
Along with these actions, police ran 97 awareness programs during the operation. These programs taught 2,210 people, including vendors, employers, workers, and shopkeepers, about child labour laws and why child protection is important. The Anti-Human Trafficking Unit also reviewed 199 missing person cases from 2024 to 2026. They found 99 missing people, including women, children, and kidnapped victims. They found nine people in 2025 and 90 in 2026.
For example, the Begumpet Division Team made two important rescues. On July 16, 2026, they found a 15-year-old boy named Bhushan Patel (also called Athul) staying with a street food vendor in Bapuji Nagar. He left his home in Balaghat, Madhya Pradesh, after his parents scolded him. He traveled to Hyderabad by train. Police learned he was already listed as missing in his hometown. They took him to the Child Welfare Committee and started the process to send him home.
Later, on July 27, 2026, the team found a 17-year-old boy named Ravipeta Manikanta at a construction site in Kanajiguda. He left his home in Konaseema, Andhra Pradesh, after an argument. He began working as a daily laborer. The team contacted his parents and began counseling and support.
The Police Commissioner asked everyone to help stop child labour. If you know about child labour, trafficking, or children in trouble, call 100, 112, or the Child Helpline at 1098. The Commissioner said public support is needed so every child can have a safe and secure childhood.
