Bhubaneswar: Odisha police rescued 101 missing children, including a three-month-old baby girl and her 17-year-old mother who was allegedly raped by her friend, during a special interstate operation conducted between Aug 28 and Sept 8, officials said on Thursday.Of the rescued children, who were from different age groups, 54 were boys and 47 girls. A majority, 83 children comprising 46 boys and 37 girls, had been staying in child care institutions (CCIs) outside Odisha for months due to delays in completing legal and administrative procedures across state jurisdictions.The remaining children were traced in cases involving alleged kidnapping linked to elopements, runaway incidents, and child labour. Police sources said seven children, including six boys, were rescued from labour sites in different states.The operation, carried out under the banner of ‘Anweshan‘, covered 17 states–Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Delhi, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.“The drive was coordinated by the Crime Against Women and Children Wing (CAWCW) in collaboration with the state women and child development department,” said S Shyni, ADG, CAWCW.West Bengal accounted for the highest number of rescues at 30, followed by Karnataka (11), Jharkhand (10) and Tamil Nadu (10).In one notable case, a three-month-old baby girl and her 17-year-old mother were traced to a CCI in Kerala. Police said the teenager was allegedly sexually abused by her friend when she was a minor and gave birth to the baby shortly before turning 18. An FIR was registered in Kerala based on the survivor’s complaint a few months ago.“The operation focused on tracing missing children through field-level searches, verification of leads, and coordination with authorities and child care institutions in other states. All rescued children have either been repatriated or are in the process of being brought back to Odisha for reintegration and rehabilitation,” Shyni said.She added that legal-cum-probation officers of the women and child development department provided necessary support during the rescue and repatriation process.Odisha police data show that 4,873 children, including 538 boys, 4,334 girls and one transgender child, were reported missing in the state between January and June this year. During the same period, police traced 5,413 children, including 4,674 girls. Officials clarified that the number of children rescued included those reported missing both this year and in previous years.