Police are yet to trace over 500 kids who went missing: DLSA

New Delhi, Jan 19 (PTI) The Delhi Legal ServicesAuthority (DLSA) today told the Delhi High Court that morethan 500 children who have been missing for past one yearshave not been traced by the city police as yet.

Appearing before a division bench of Chief Justice DipakMisra and Justice Sanjiv Khanna, DLSA Member Secretary AshaMenon said the list of missing children prepared by it did notmatch with the number prepared by the police.

Countering the submission, the government counsel said270 children have been traced from various places and it hasprepared a report about the reasons why they leave theirhouses and work in different establishments.

The court sought an affidavit from the police in thisregard and directed them to produce at least five children,recovered by it, before the DLSA to interact with them.

Issuing a slew of directions, the bench had said policeshall investigate into the existence of different gangs andaction should be taken against them.

The court also had directed the police to probe if thechildren were kidnapped for trafficking and to prepare a datastudy as to how the children from various neighbouring stateswere able to come to the city.

The Bench had sought detailed information to be given toDLSA about 489 children who have gone missing since November,2009, and not yet traced so DLSA could provide legalassistance to the parents of those children.

Taking a suo motu cognizance over a media reportover the missing children in the city, the Bench had directedDLSA to monitor as to whether the police register FIRs in themissing children cases.

On September 16, 2009, the bench had directed thepolice to register FIRs immediately after receipt of thecomplaint from the victim''s family.