Dhule police trace 165 missing women & 25 minors in 2-week long drive

Nashik: The Dhule police have traced 165 missing women and reunited 22 girls and three boys, all minors, with their families during a two-week special campaign conducted to act on long-pending missing complaints filed by relatives.Police officers said a substantial number of women and girls continued to be reported missing or abducted/kidnapped in the district."Acting on directives from the additional director general of police for women and child crimes prevention, we carried out ‘Operation Shodh‑3' from March 6 to 21 across all police units in Dhule district to locate missing women and kidnapped minors. In total, we traced 190 people, including women and minors," Dhule superintendent of police Shreekant Dhivare said.As part of the operation, the deputy superintendent of police (home) was designated as the nodal officer. Specialised missing cells were set up in Dhule, Shirpur and Sakri subdivisions, and nine search teams were formed comprising several women officers and personnel. "These teams worked closely with the local crime branch and the anti-human trafficking cell, extending their search not only within the district but also to neighbouring districts, Mumbai, and even to bordering states like Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh to locate the missing persons," the officer said."All the minors traced during the operation have been reunited with their families. In the case of adult women, many had voluntarily chosen to stay away due to personal or family issues, or because they had married and preferred not to return. Their families have been informed of their decisions," Dhivare said, adding that the police would continue conducting similar drives in the future.Operation Shodh — a specialized, targeted initiative — was launched in 2025 to track and rescue missing women and children. Running alongside Operation Muskan, it successfully traced thousands of individuals, often involving inter-state coordination to reunite separated family members.