330 missing person cases since 2014 solved in a month by Navi Mumbai police

The drive was part of the statewide Operation Shodh initiated by the state government between April 17 and May 15, the effort led to locating 213 women, 95 men, 10 boys, and 12 girls who went missing

NAVI MUMBAI: The Navi Mumbai police have successfully brought back home 330 missing persons, predominantly women and minors, in a one-month drive. Police said some of them had been missing for the last 10 years.

The drive was part of the statewide Operation Shodh initiated by the state government between April 17 and May 15

The drive was part of the statewide Operation Shodh initiated by the state government between April 17 and May 15. As many as 22 special police teams from every station in the commissionerate and the anti-human traffic unit of the crime branch (AHTC) worked together to ensure the missing persons returned to their homes.

Missing cases from as early as 2014 were studied thoroughly, said assistant commissioner of police (crime) Ajay Landge. “We launched fresh investigations and followed leads. We contacted and coordinated with other police commissionerates, and child welfare committees of various regions including Karjat, Thane, and Ulhasnagar, checked orphanages and superintendents of children’s observation homes in Thane and Raigad along with soliciting support from NGOs in the city, to help us locate them,” he said.

Landge said, “We found that the persons had gone missing or left their homes for various reasons.”

A police officer from the squad said, “Most cases were people who had been upset for various reasons with their families. There were some cases of love affairs and also instances where people were genuinely lost due to mental health issues.”

The police encouraged citizens to call their helpline 103 to give any information on missing persons that can help trace them.