A child begging racket was busted and 300 children rescued in December, but now the so-called parents and caretakers of these children have hoodwinked the authorities and taken custody of children by producing fake documents such as address proof.

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Sources in the Child Welfare Committee-I — in charge of rescue and rehabilitation of boys — said that they came across at least five cases wherein people claiming to be parents furnished fake documents to get the children released from custody. The committee handed over the children after the parents gave undertakings that they would take care of them.

But when Child Welfare Committee (CWC) members, along with the police, tried visiting the residences earlier this month to ensure the well-being of these children, they were shocked to learn that the addresses given by the ‘parents’did not exist. “We suspect that the parents, fearing constant scrutiny, may have gone back to their native places; 70% of them hail from Bihar, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan,” said a committee member.

“Suspecting something fishy, we have intensified our operations on checking the details of the children who have been taken away by their parents,” said the member. CWC rescued 40 children in December. Among them, 12 boys in the age group of seven to 18 years have been admitted to various schools under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, he said. The rest of them were sent back with their parents.

Similarly, with CWC-II — in charge of rescuing and rehabilitating girls — there are several cases wherein ‘parents’ have returned home with their children. Now, the CWC suspects that many ‘parents’ provided false addresses.

CWC-II chairperson Nina Jain said the committee will meet on Friday to discuss the issue and submit a report to the government. Joint commissioner of police Pranab Mohanty is shocked by this revelation. “The committee cannot be so irresponsible while dealing with this issue. How can it hand over the children without verification? If this is true, it is serious and action will be taken against the persons responsible,” he said.