This supercop works behind the scenes, reunites missing people with loved ones

Coimbatore: Not all cops patrol the streets and run after troublemakers. There is a silent majority, who work behind the scenes to crack unsolved cases. Head constable K Balamani attached to the Mahalingapuram police station in Pollachi is one such officer.
Balamani, who had bagged an award under the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS), an e-governance project of the Central government in October, has reunited tens of missing persons – both dead and alive – with their families. She received the award from home minister Rajnath Singh at the Conference on CCTNS – Good Practice and Success Stories held in New Delhi on October 30. Inspector general of police K Periaiah appreciated her efforts on Monday.

The 46-year-old officer has reunited eight people with their families and identified, and handed over the bodies of 51 people after she began working for the State Crime Records Bureau (SCRB) two years ago. “Unlike the field workers, we work in our office using the CCTNS citizen portal. To match an unidentified person or body, we have to compare the features with over 1,000 missing complaints. Sometimes, we have to dig up records that are four to five years old,” said Balamani. A missing person is identified based on physical features, dress, ornaments and injury marks.

The most difficult part of her job is to meet the families with the findings, Balamani told TOI. “Sometimes when a missing person is identified as dead, the family refuses to accept it and continue to believe that the person is alive somewhere.”

Remembering a case in which she used her skills to reunite a school student with his family, she said, “Soon after the boy went missing, his father died of cardiac arrest. We found the boy in Cuddalore and handed him over when the entire family was grieving. Witnessing the happiness of the family when they met the boy, I was deeply moved. I am equally happy while handing over the bodies because it is very difficult to live without knowing whether a loved one is alive or dead.”