- Delhi Police report no abnormal rise in missing persons cases in the capital since 2016
- January 2026 missing cases (1,777) are lower than January 2025 and below historical average
- About 77% of missing persons from 2016-2025 were traced and reunited with families
Delhi Police on Thursday rejected claims of a spike in missing persons cases in the national capital, saying official data shows no abnormal rise and that figures have remained broadly stable for nearly a decade. The statement comes amid political criticism and public concern following reports that 807 people went missing in Delhi in the first 15 days of January 2026 - an average of nearly 54 cases a day.
January Figures "Below Historical Average"
According to Delhi Police, 1,777 missing persons were reported in January 2026, a figure it says is lower than both the monthly average and comparable periods in previous years.
In 2025, Delhi recorded 24,508 missing persons - an average of 2,042 cases per month - while January 2025 alone saw 1,786 cases. The police record said the January 2026 figure was therefore "proportionately lower" and did not indicate any emerging trend.
हम यह स्पष्ट करना चाहते है कि गुमशुदगी, विशेषकर बच्चों के लापता होनें को लेकर फैलायी जा रही अफवाहों से घबराने की कोई आवश्यकता नहीं है।
— Delhi Police (@DelhiPolice) February 5, 2026
विगत वर्षों की तुलना में गुमशुदगी के मामलों में वृद्धि नहीं हुई है।
दिल्ली पुलिस त्वरित जांच व कार्रवाई के साथ नागरिकों की सुरक्षा के लिए… pic.twitter.com/WjV1MCoTEM
The police data also said that annual missing-persons figures have hovered between 23,000 and 24,000 since 2016, despite rapid population growth in the capital.
Detection Is a Cumulative Process, Police Say
Delhi Police stressed that missing-person detection is time-dependent and cumulative, cautioning against year-on-year comparisons without context.
Between 2016 and 2025, a total of 1,80,805 missing persons were traced and reunited with their families, reflecting an overall recovery rate of about 77 per cent. While 85 per cent of cases reported in 2016 have been traced over nine years, 63 per cent of 2025 cases have already been resolved within the same year, police said.
Authorities attributed recoveries to initiatives such as 'Operation Milap' and the use of technology, including AI-based facial recognition systems.
Easy Reporting Inflates Numbers, Say Officials
Police also pointed to Delhi's open and accessible reporting system, which allows missing-person complaints to be filed online without police intervention.
This includes short-duration or precautionary cases, such as children delayed from school or temporarily unreachable, many of which are resolved quickly but remain in official records if families do not update authorities.
"Higher reporting reflects transparency, not necessarily higher long-term disappearances," the police said in a statement.
Offering a "fair comparison", Delhi Police's data cited an assessment per 100,000 population across the world. It said England/London had 254 missing persons per 100,000 population and the US has 138; Delhi, in comparison, reported 122.5 (average) missing persons per 100,000.
However, the data also highlights concerns, with the number of females yet to be traced rising from 1,606 in 2016 to 5,576 in 2025. In 2025, 9,087 out of 24,508 missing cases remained unresolved.
