Face recognition tech reunites missing boy with parents after 5 years

HYDERABAD: A missing boy from India’s Uttar Pradesh was reunited with his parents after five years with the help of face recognition technology.

13-year-old Som Soni, a resident of Handia in Allahabad, had been missing since July 14, 2015. He was traced at the Child Welfare Centre in Assam’s Goalpara district.

The missing boy was found by Goalpara police on July 23, 2015, and was sent to the Child Welfare Centre.

Swati Lakra, Additional Director General of Police, Women Safety, said: “Telangana state police, while using the face recognition tool Darpan to match missing children’s photographs with those of children found at various child homes across the country detected the said boy by matching his photos.”

The Telangana police notified the Station House Officer of Handia police station in Allahabad, who then informed the parents of the missing boy. Subsequently, they went to the Child Welfare Centre and identified their kid.

Lakra said the Telangana State police played a big role in reuniting the missing child with his parents after five years. She said efforts are on to trace as many missing children across India through Darpan face recognition tool so as to reunite them with their family.

She shared a video clip of the child’s “emotional reunion” with his parents on Twitter.

Emotional reunion..
A 13 year old autistic boy child who was missing from Uttar Pradesh since 2015 was traced at a child home in Assam after 5 years, by Telangana Police with the help of DARPAN (FacialRecognitionTool) of @TelanganaCOPs #Technology #Darpan pic.twitter.com/hjWtPd9voZ

— Swati Lakra (@SwatiLakra_IPS) October 9, 2020