Delhi Missing Persons Crisis: Former DGP Flags Human Trafficking, Child Labour Links

According to him, figures for 2024 and 2025 stand at around 24,000 to 25,000 annually, with an average of 14,000 women and 10,000 men reported missing each year, including children.

Kanth said nearly 25 to 30 per cent of missing persons are never found, calling it “extremely worrying”.

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More than 500 women and girls were reported missing in Delhi in just the first 15 days of 2026, underscoring the scale of the crisis flagged by former DGP Amod Kanth. Police data shows that 509 women and girls accounted for nearly two-thirds of the 807 missing persons cases reported between January 1 and 15.

On average, about 54 people were reported missing every day during this period. While 235 individuals, including women, girls and men, have been traced so far, as many as 572 people remain unaccounted for, raising fresh concerns over recovery rates and underlying causes.

Former Director General of Police Amod Kanth has flagged serious concerns over the scale of missing persons cases in India, warning that a significant proportion of those who disappear are never traced.

January Data Shows Only 30% Recovery

Citing figures available to him, Kanth said 1,116 people went missing in January alone, with only 359 traced — a recovery rate of roughly 30 per cent. “Recoveries have happened, but the bigger question is why such large numbers go missing in the first place,” he said.

NCRB Data Points To Long-Running Pattern

At the national level, Kanth referred to National Crime Records Bureau data for 2023, which recorded 4,84,000 missing persons in a single year. Of these, 3,24,000 were women. “This is not a new pattern. It has existed for a long time,” he said.

Children Among The Most Vulnerable

In 2023, around 1,77,000 cases involving crimes against children were reported, while about 82,000 children were listed as missing, with kidnapping cases registered. Kanth said children form a disproportionately large segment of missing persons.

According to him, figures for 2024 and 2025 stand at around 24,000 to 25,000 annually, with an average of 14,000 women and 10,000 men reported missing each year, including children.

Human Trafficking A Key Concern

Kanth said nearly 25 to 30 per cent of missing persons are never found, calling it “extremely worrying”. He identified child labour, forced labour and human trafficking as the strongest angles in such cases.

“Human trafficking is a highly organised racket and is considered the world’s third-largest organised crime,” he said.

Cross-Border Trafficking Networks Active

Referring to international trafficking, Kanth said many girls are trafficked to Saudi Arabia, while women travelling to European countries for domestic work often get trapped in trafficking networks.

He added that among India’s borders, Nepal is the most active, followed by Bangladesh. Along the Indo-Nepal border alone, 1,100 children were recovered, a large number of them girls.

‘Golden Period’ For Reporting Missing Cases

Kanth stressed the importance of swift action, calling the initial period after a disappearance the “golden period”. “If a child or a woman goes missing, families must not waste time and should immediately inform the police,” he said.