The Odisha Police on Thursday said it has rescued 160 children, including 138 girls who were reported missing, in the past four days, as part of a special drive.
In the first phase of the week-long drive that will end on March 8, police personnel will attempt to trace missing children within the state and expand the exercise to beyond Odisha in the second phase, they said.
"All the rescued children have been sent to their respective parents or guardians," said a release issued by the police headquarters here.
According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), Odisha finds itself at the bottom among all other states in terms of the recovery percentage of missing children.
Till 2019, at least 5,503 children were reported missing in the state and the Odisha police were able to trace 1,490 of them, registering a tracing percentage of merely 27.1, sources said.
During the same period, Kerala's percentage was 94, the highest in the country, they added.
