Delhi alarm: 54 go missing daily - 800 vanished in first 15 days of 2026; 500+ are females

• 807 people, mostly women and girls, went missing in Delhi in first 15 days of 2026
• Children and teenagers, especially girls, are among the most vulnerable groups
• Operation Milap reunited 75 missing persons with families in January

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A total of 807 people were reported missing in Delhi in just the first 15 days of 2026, with women and girls forming nearly two-thirds of the cases, according to official Delhi Police data accessed by news agency PTI.

Between January 1 and January 15, 807 missing person complaints were registered across Delhi. This translates to an average of around 54 people going missing every single day. Of these, 509 were women and girls, while 298 were men.

Police have so far traced 235 individuals, but 572 people remain untraced, leaving hundreds of families anxiously waiting for information about their loved ones.

Children and teenagers most vulnerable

Children and adolescents continue to be among the most affected groups. During the first half of January, 191 minors were reported missing in Delhi. Girls accounted for a majority of these cases, with 146 girls reported missing compared to 45 boys.

Teenagers were the most vulnerable within this group. A total of 169 adolescents went missing, including 138 teenage girls and 31 boys. Police were able to trace only 29 girls and 19 boys, meaning nearly 71 per cent of missing teenagers are still unaccounted for.

In the eight to twelve age group, 13 children were reported missing, including eight boys and five girls. Only three boys were traced, while the rest remain missing. Among children below eight years of age, nine cases were reported. Police managed to locate three boys, but six children are still untraced.

Adults form bulk of missing cases

Adults continue to make up the largest share of missing persons in the city. In the first 15 days of January alone, 616 adults were reported missing, including 363 women and 253 men. Police traced 91 women and 90 men, but 435 adults have yet to be found.

In 2025, Delhi recorded 24,508 missing persons cases. Women accounted for over 60 per cent of these cases, with 14,870 women reported missing, the highest number recorded in a single year. Men accounted for 9,638 cases. While police traced 15,421 individuals, 9,087 cases remain unresolved.

A decade-long crisis

Data from the past decade shows the scale of the problem. Over the last ten years, 2,32,737 people were reported missing in Delhi. While around 1.8 lakh individuals were traced, nearly 52,000 cases remain unresolved, according to Delhi Police records.

Teenagers continue to face the highest risk. Since 2016, more than 5,000 teenagers have gone missing each year on average, with girls accounting for nearly 3,500 cases annually. In 2025 alone, 5,081 teenagers were reported missing, including 3,970 girls. Of them, 1,013 girls are still missing.

Amid these worrying numbers, police said efforts are being intensified. Under “Operation Milap,” a special drive aimed at tracing missing persons, South-West District Police reunited 75 individuals, 28 missing or kidnapped children and 47 adults, with their families in January.