Head constable traces 56 missing kids in 3 months, says 'just had to find them'

New Delhi: Spending sleepless nights travelling through West Bengal, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and many other parts of the country, Delhi Police's Seema Dhaka is a woman on a mission - to trace missing children. Dhaka, a Woman Head Constable at the Samaypur Badli police station, has managed to trace 56 children in just three months, for which she was given an out-of-turn promotion.

Her work shows that she has traced as many as 76 missing children, 56 of whom are below 14 years of age. She is also the first police personnel in Delhi to receive the promotion for tracing missing children under a new incentive scheme announced by Commissioner SN Shrivastava.

Dhaka has managed to trace missing children not just in Delhi but in other states as far as Punjab and West Bengal as well.

"Most of the cases were old and the complainants had left their rented accommodations which they had mentioned in their complaints. Their mobile numbers were switched off or not reachable. So, first of all, I traced the complainants after an extensive search and I reached out to them," Dhaka told Millennium Post.

She further said there were various reasons for children going away from their homes. Some of the children Dhaka traced were kidnapped, some left their homes because of drugs. "There were children who left their homes after their parents objected or scolded them for consuming drugs. Some were lured under the pretext of love," she added.

Dhaka joined the Delhi Police in 2006. After her promotion, she was posted in South East and remained there till 2012. She was transferred to the Outer district in 2012 and from there she got transferred to Rohini and later to Outer North. "There were many sleepless nights. I have a minor child. In these three months, I went home for only around three to four hours every day and left home early in the morning in search of the missing kids," she said.

Looking for the missing children, she travelled through Delhi-NCR, West Bengal, Punjab, Eastern Uttar Pradesh. "Mujhe raat mein pata nhi neend nhi aati thi (I couldn't sleep at night). I don't know why but I just wanted to trace these kids," she said. Dhaka's husband is also posted as a head constable in Delhi Police.

"Women HC Seema Dhaka, PS Samaypur Badli, deserves congratulations for being the first police person to be promoted out of turn for recovering 56 children in 3 months under incentive scheme. Hats off to fighting spirit and joy brought to families." tweeted Delhi Police CP.

The Delhi Police has reunited 1,440 missing children with their families in the last three months.