Amritsar/Mohali, July 18 -- The district administrations in Amritsar and Mohali launched a special drive against beggars on Thursday, a day after the Punjab government directed a crackdown on children found begging with adults on the streets to verify their family ties and check child trafficking. In Mohali, the child welfare committee (CWC) visited four locations and rescued 12 children engaged in begging, while in Amritsar, a district administration team detained two women and a male beggar while rescuing four children near the Golden Gate. The Amritsar crackdown comes days after an FIR was registered against a female beggar carrying three children. On Wednesday, the social security, women and child development minister, Baljit Kaur, said the move aims to prevent child trafficking and exploitation. "If a child is found begging with an adult, aDNA test will be conducted to verify their relationship. Until the results are available, the child will be placed in a childcare institution. If the test proves the adult is not related to the child, strict legal action will follow," she said. All the detained beggars in Amritsar belong to Rajasthan and were detained by the team, comprising officials from the district child protection officer, child line, education department and health department, who handed over the children to the child welfare committee (CWC). Amritsar deputy commissioner Sakshi Sawhney said, "Our team is questioning the detained beggars. They have been asked to produce their identity documents, including Adhaar card etc. If we have doubt, their DNA testing will be done and further action can be taken based on the inquiry". Advocate MK Sharma, who leads the CWC in Amritsar, said, "They may be released with a strict warning if they produce their identity documents and prove that they did not commit any offence; otherwise, an FIR will also be registered against them". Last week, an FIR was filed against a female beggar, who was detained from the Ranjit Avenue area, under section 76 of the Juvenile Justice (care and protection of children) Act 2015 and his three children were rescued. "The lady, hailing from Rajasthan, has been released on bail. We have lodged an FIR against her", Sharma added. He further said, "We asked our teams to identify the hotspots, including the surroundings of Golden Temple and Durgiana Temple and major chowks in the city and conduct recce of the beggars." As per the officials, as soon as the FIR was registered, half of the beggars disappeared from the hotspots. "And as soon as the crackdown started on Thursday, beggars ran away from the area of the Golden Temple. This shows they are communicating," he added. Gunjeet Ruchi Bawa, vice-chairperson, Punjab state commission for protection of child rights, who is monitoring the operation in Amritsar, said: "Child begging is a form of modern-day slavery and a grave violation of child rights. We will not allow anyone to exploit children for personal or commercial gain." In Mohali, the children were found near a mall in Sector 67, at traffic lights in Sector 70, near Gurdwara Singh Shaheedan, and at intersections in Phases 7 and 8. DC Komal Mittal said the rescued children were produced before the child welfare committee on Thursday evening and subsequently shifted to a child care home. "We have called the parents for verification on Friday and have asked them to submit proper documentation of their children. Failing to do so may result in DNA testing," she added....