Odisha Police rescued at least 515 missing children in January as part of its ‘Operation Smile-II’ programme, a top official said on Monday.

Special Director General of Police (Crime) B.K. Sharma said 330 missing children, including 41 child labourers, were rescued in Odisha while 185 children were tracked down outside the state.

“They have been handed over either to their parents or rehabilitated in child care institutions,” a police statement said.

In the first phase, police rescued 122 children in Odisha during January 1-15, while the rest were rescued in the later part of the month.

Police and the Women and Child Development department, in a joint effort, carried out the operation from January 1 to rescue and rehabilitate the missing children.

In the second phase, 10 police teams along with representatives from the Women and Child Development department visited many states, including Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, to trace the missing children.

As many as 185 missing children were rescued from these states, the statement added.