In the bustling town of Valsad, a quaint district nestled in the western part of India, with its borders connected to two districts of Maharashtra (Nasik and Palghar) and two union territories – Daman & Diu and Dadar & Nagar Haveli, Superintendent of Police Karanraj Singh Vaghela took up the mantle to safeguard the most vulnerable members of society: absconding or missing children. With a firm resolve and a compassionate heart, he embarked on a mission that would soon capture the attention and admiration of the entire community.
In an exclusive conversation with Indian Masterminds, the officer shared details about his initiative that has reunited numerous children with their families again.
NEED FOR THE PROJECT
Due to the existence of thousands of active factories under the Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation, the area witnesses a large population of migrants coming from across states to acquire employment in these factories. Such a large population residing so close to state borders sometimes results in teenagers being able to easily abscond from their homes to stay away from their families or start a new life somewhere far away from home.
“Only last year, we had 75 registered cases of teenagers and young children who had run away from their homes. Most of these cases are of young, minor girls who run away with their boyfriends. In such cases, we register FIRs under IPC 363 (kidnapping). After checking the data in detail, we found that there were over 75 missing children’s cases in 2023 that were yet to be found,” Mr. Vaghela shared with Indian Masterminds.
CALL TO ACTION
The officer immediately sprang to action and arranged a mega drive in every police station in every region of the district and the nearby districts. He further formed a missing person squad, which drove into investigating more about these youngsters in two different groups – those who were below 18 years of age and those who were above it.
“We took out data on children who had been missing since 2006 or so and contacted their families and relatives. Many of them had moved to different states, such as UP and Bihar. We contacted the complainants, and if we couldn’t reach them, we contacted the sarpanches, inspectors, or SPs of their villages who helped us create the contacts, which catalyzed our investigation further,” stated Mr. Vaghela.
By doing so, within a few months, the officer and his team were successfully able to recover 99 children, who had been missing for years, and reunite them with their families. These 99 children included the 75 kids that had gone missing in 2023 alone!
PROGRESS
The officer continued with the drive in 2024 as well and gained a record-breaking success in January itself when he was able to find and reunite 20 children and 60 adults in just one month, who had been missing for the past few years and whose families had registered kidnapping/missing cases with the police.
Word of Mr. Vaghela’s remarkable achievements spread like wildfire, earning him the admiration and respect of both his colleagues and the public alike. Though the journey is far from over, he knows that with perseverance and unity, he can overcome any challenge that lies ahead, ensuring that no child will ever be lost and forgotten again.
