Mumbai Police dismiss social media claims of rise in missing children cases

Mumbai Police on Sunday dismissed as misleading a series of messages circulating on social media claiming a rise in cases of children going missing from the city asserting that such posts do not reflect the actual situation on the groundIn an official clarification issued on X the Mumbai Police said it treats every case of a missing child with the ldquoutmost seriousness and empathyrdquo and follows strict legal and procedural protocols while handling such complaints The police emphasised that in line with the Supreme Courtrsquos judgment in Bachpan Bachao Aandolan vs Union of India all cases involving missing minors are mandatorily registered as kidnapping cases to ensure immediate and comprehensive investigationFacts About Misleading Messages regarding Children Missing from MumbaiMumbaiPolice4All pictwittercomDmkT5G00DJmdash Mumbai Police MumbaiPolice December 14 2025Sharing official data the police said that over the past five years around 98 per cent of minors reported missing in Mumbaimdashdefined as children up to the age of 18mdashhave been successfully traced and reunited with their families ldquoThis year is no exceptionrdquo the statement said underlining the forcersquos sustained track record in resolving such casesThe police added that search operations continue relentlessly until every missing child is located Citing a recent example they said a fouryearold girl who had gone missing from Mumbai six months ago was recently traced and rescued from Varanasi by a team from MRA Marg police station highlighting the interstate coordination involved in such effortsAccording to the police multiple teamsmdashincluding the Crime Branch local police units and specialised cellsmdashare routinely deployed to trace missing children and ensure swift action in each case ldquoFor us every child matters and every family mattersrdquo the Mumbai Police said reaffirming its commitment to child safetyThe police also appealed to citizens to avoid believing or sharing unverified information on social media and urged them to rely only on official sources for accurate updates warning that misinformation can cause unnecessary panic and distressRaj Thackeray urges Maharashtra government to act on rising child abductionsMeanwhile Maharashtra Navnirman Sena MNS chief Raj Thackeray on Saturday highlighted the growing menace of child abductions and missing children in the state urging Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to take urgent and concrete actionIn a post on X Thackeray said the number of children being abducted or going missing in Maharashtra has risen by nearly 30 per cent between 2021 and 2024 according to National Crime Records Bureau NCRB data He expressed concern over interstate gangs that abduct children force them into labour or make them beg and criticised the governmentrsquos perceived inactionldquoSome cases are registered and official responses often mention children recovered and returned safely Maharashtra does not need such generic answersrdquo Thackeray wrote He questioned how many cases never even reach the police and highlighted the psychological trauma children face even after being rescuedThackeray also raised concerns over children seen begging on streets bus stands and stations urging investigations into whether the adults accompanying them are really their parents and suggesting DNA tests if necessaryThe MNS chief called for legislative discussions on child abductions missing girls and illegal land grabs questioning the effectiveness of the Winter Session if ministers are often absent and critical issues go unaddressedHe added that the central government should coordinate with states to tackle the problem but suggested it is currently distracted by other matters ldquoMaharashtra expects the Chief Minister and Home Minister to pay attention and take concrete steps not just facilitate a discussion in the assemblyrdquo he said