Noida: Cops vow to help ‘sisters’ at Sector 34 shelter home reunite with kin

The women celebrated with local police officers and community leaders, who assured them that every possible effort would be made to reunite them with their families

During a Raksha Bandhan event at “Apna Ghar” women’s shelter in Sector 34, Noida on Sunday, additional deputy commissioner of police Manish Mishra assured efforts to contact the families of 40 of the 289 rescued women at the shelter.

ADCP Mishra stressed the importance of holding counselling sessions with these families to understand why the women were abandoned and to explore ways to facilitate their return home. (Sunil Ghosh/HT Photo)

According to the vice president of Apna Ghar, Shalu Goyal, the event aimed to bring hope and facilitate family reunions for the rescued women who could recall details about their family and home.

The Apna Ghar ashram, which has been operating since 2022, was established to provide care and rehabilitation for women who have been abandoned or lost. Of the 289 rescued women, 40 women have been identified who can recall the whereabouts of their homes.

At the event, these women celebrated with local police officers and community leaders, who assured them that every possible effort would be made to reunite them with their families, she said. In return these women had two requests...either to go back home or get married in a well-to-do family, Goyal added.

Goyal highlighted the story of Anuradha (who goes by a single name), one of the 40 women, who was rescued from a street in Ghaziabad, with no recollection of her address or details about her family to help trace them.

“I am a resident of Moradabad and although I can’t tell the exact location of my home, I am sure that I would have a fair idea if I were taken there... I want to meet my parents and go back home as soon as possible,” Anuradha said.

At the event, ADCP Mishra stressed the importance of holding counselling sessions with these families to understand why the women were abandoned and to explore ways to facilitate their return home.

“Noida Police will provide all possible support to Yuva Kranti Sena, Vidya Foundation and Apna Ghar Ashram in the campaign to reunite the women with their families and their rehabilitation,” Mishra said.