BHUBANESWAR: The state Crime Branch has decided to launch a month-long special drive to trace missing children from September 1. The drive will be executed under the banner of Paree (angel)."We have asked police in districts to form special squads to undertake the special drive, though the police stations look for missing children in normal days as well. While the police personnel will carry out the drive inside the state between September 1 and 15, they will conduct the search operations outside the state from September 16 to 30," additional director general of police (Crime Branch) Santosh Upadhyay said.Crime Branch sources said at least 1,792 minors, including nearly 900 girls , had gone missing in the state in 2016. An official source said 1,851 minors, including about 1,000 girls, went missing in 2017. Police said bulk of the cases involved elopement and engagement of children at several workplaces. Crime Branch said the rescue rate of missing children increased from 18.6% in 2011 to 80.43% in 2017."We often found the rescued children belonged to poor families and were sent by their parents to workplaces in the state and outside to earn money. Children were also rescued from houses where they were engaged as domestic helps, another cop said.

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