Are girls really being kidnapped in Delhi? Here’s the truth

“Dilli walon! Ho jao savdhaan. Saal ke pehle 15 din me 800 se zyada log lapata.”If you’ve been scrolling through your phone over the past week, chances are this line has screamed at you from a reel — red text, ominous music, grainy visuals, and a voice warning of a city slipping into danger.What followed was predictable — panic, paranoia and relentless sharing. Social media timelines began flooding with posts about people going missing, especially women and young girls, triggering fear among families and frantic WhatsApp forwards across neighbourhoods.According to police figures, Delhi, in fact, recorded a 2% drop in missing persons cases in 2025, a trend that has continued into early 2026. In January 2026, 1,777 missing-person reports were registered — lower than the monthly average of 2,042 in 2025, and slightly below the 1,786 cases recorded in January 2024.Police officials said the figures contradict social media claims of an “abnormal spike”, particularly involving women and children.

Stable numbers, faster recoveries

Data released by Delhi Police shows that the number of people reported missing annually has remained largely stable between 23,000 and 24,000 since 2016, despite the city’s growing population.Since 2016, 1,80,805 missing persons have been traced and reunited with their families, reflecting a cumulative recovery rate of around 77%.

Officials stressed that recovery is a continuous process, meaning recent-year percentages will improve as investigations mature.

In 2016, for instance, 23,409 people were reported missing, of whom 20,029 were eventually traced — an 85% recovery, achieved over nearly nine years of follow-up. By contrast, recoveries in recent years are happening much faster.In 2025 alone, of the 24,508 people reported missing, 15,421 were traced within the same calendar year, translating to a 63% recovery rate in a fraction of the historical time.

Why reporting looks “high”

Senior officers said Delhi’s numbers appear higher than other cities largely due to its digital-first, zero-delay reporting system, which allows missing-person complaints to be filed instantly through police stations, mobile apps, online portals and ERSS-112.“This means even short-duration absences are immediately recorded — children delayed from school, teenagers unreachable due to phone issues, or precautionary complaints by anxious families,” a senior officer explained.

“Many are traced within hours, but remain in records unless families formally report their return.”Delhi Police claimed that, on a per-capita basis, the city maintains a missing-person rate of 122.5 per 1,00,000 population, which it said is lower than comparable figures in the UK and the US, and better than cities such as London and New York.

Children and women: What data shows

As of January 26, 2026, police data shows 807 missing persons, including 509 women and 298 men.

Officials stressed that the majority of children who go missing are recovered, often within days.Senior Constable Monika of the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) said many recovered children had left home willingly.

“Younger children often cannot recall their address or parents’ details. Teenagers are sometimes lured by strangers, occasionally under the pretext of marriage,” she said, adding that technical surveillance and CCTV analysis play a key role in tracing them.Sources said teenage runaways are frequently driven by academic pressure, personal conflicts or social media influence, and often provide false identities to avoid detection.

Rumours, paid promotions and police warning

Amid viral posts claiming a surge in missing girls, Delhi Police on Friday said the scare was being amplified through paid promotions on social media. “Creating panic for monetary gains won’t be tolerated, and strict action will be taken,” police said in a post on X.

“After following a few leads, we discovered that the hype around the surge in missing girls in Delhi is being pushed through paid promotion. Creating panic for monetary gains won’t be tolerated,” the police said in a post on X, warning of strict legal action.Delhi Police PRO Sanjay Tyagi said there was “no need for fear or panic, especially regarding children”, noting that January 2026 had seen fewer missing-person reports than the same period last year.BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya also weighed in, sharing a video on X and claiming that the assertion that “so many children have gone missing from Delhi” was being pushed through a paid campaign linked to the promotion of a Hindi film. “The Delhi Police will obviously follow this up to its logical conclusion,” Malviya wrote.

The concern is not limited to Delhi. Four days ago, Mumbai Police also issued a public warning, stating that certain social media handles were misrepresenting data and indulging in rumour-mongering about missing and kidnapped children.

“We categorically deny these claims,” Mumbai Police said, adding that action, including the registration of FIRs, is under process against those deliberately spreading false information and creating public panic.

‘Every missing child treated as kidnapping’

Police underlined that every missing child below 18 years is treated as a kidnapping case, ensuring immediate and intensive investigation. Dedicated missing-person squads function in all districts, supported by the Crime Branch’s AHTU and initiatives such as ‘Operation Talash’, launched in 2022 to trace missing persons.Addressing fears of organised kidnapping networks, Delhi Police PRO Sanjay Tyagi said no such gangs had been found operating in missing children cases.“There is no need to fear or panic, especially regarding children. There has been no increase in missing-person reports. In fact, January 2026 saw fewer cases than the same period last year,” Tyagi said in a video statement.He added that dedicated missing-person squads operate in every district, supported by the Crime Branch’s Anti-Human Trafficking Unit, with children’s cases given top priority under standard operating procedures.

Political pushback continues

Despite police assurances, political reactions intensified.AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal questioned safety in the capital, citing 807 missing persons in the first 15 days of 2026. “These circumstances are not normal; they are extremely frightening,” he said, blaming the BJP-led administration.Delhi Congress president Devender Yadav wrote to Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena, seeking a special task force to probe missing children cases.Responding to the criticism, Special Commissioner of Police (Crime) Devesh Chandra Srivastava said, “The number of cases reported so far this year is actually less compared with previous years. Higher reporting reflects easier access, not rising crime.”

The bottom line

Delhi Police maintains that while every missing-person case—especially involving children—is treated with urgency, the data does not support claims of a kidnapping wave. Officials argue that higher visibility, easier reporting and legal obligations have inflated headline numbers, even as recovery rates improve and long-term trends remain stable.“High reporting does not mean high danger,” a senior officer said. “It means people trust the system enough to report—and that gives us a better chance to bring them home.”