Delhi Police Head Constable Chanchal has been recognised for tracing a large number of missing children over the past year, with police saying her work has also made her eligible for an out-of-turn promotion. Serving at Jaitpur Police Station in South-East district, she helped reunite 119 missing children with their families between November 2025 and October 2026.
119 children reunited in 12 months
According to the report, the children traced by Chanchal included 41 below the age of 14, among them a child of about three years, and 78 in the 14–18 age group. In the same period, she also located 16 other missing persons, taking the total number of recoveries to 135.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (South East) Utkarsh said the effort covered nearly seven to eight states, including Bihar, Jharkhand, Assam, Haryana and Rajasthan. The police account states that the recoveries were made over a wide geographical spread and required repeated coordination beyond Delhi.
Eligibility under Delhi Police Standing Order 2024
Under the Delhi Police Standing Order 2024, personnel who trace at least 80 missing children in a year, including 40 below the age of 14, become eligible for an out-of-turn promotion. Based on the figures shared by the police, Chanchal has crossed both benchmarks.
Speaking to ANI, Chanchal said she has been posted at Jaitpur for about one-and-a-half years. She said that after joining, she saw the distress of parents searching for missing children and felt compelled to act.
“Being a mother myself, I could understand their emotions. I have an eight-year-old daughter, and I felt deeply connected to their suffering. This inspired me to take up the responsibility of tracing missing children and reuniting them with their families,” she said. She also credited her Station House Officer, senior officers and the DCP for providing technical assistance and information that supported the recoveries.
How the recoveries were made
Police officials said the work involved gathering intelligence, using technical tools, planning investigations, making persistent follow-ups and coordinating with child care homes, NGOs and Child Welfare Committees across Delhi-NCR and other states. Senior officers also acknowledged Chanchal’s investigative skills, careful planning and coordination across agencies.
The police noted that tracing children below 14 is especially important because they are considered among the most vulnerable to exploitation and trafficking. South-East district police described the achievement as an example of humanitarian policing and said it is a matter of pride for the district.
