Bengaluru: City recorded the highest number of missing children in Karnataka over the past three years, with 3,268 cases. Police data show that girls make up nearly three-fourths of these cases, though officials say most incidents are not actual kidnappings.Under Supreme Court guidelines, police register all missing minor cases as kidnappings. Police say only 2% to 3% involve crimes such as ransom, sexual assault or property disputes; most cases involve elopement or minors running away from home, often after family conflicts. Between Jan 2023 and Nov 15, 2025, 9,639 children went missing across the state. Of them, 6,981 (72%) were girls, and police traced 86% of these cases and reunited the children with their families.
During the same period, 2,748 boys were reported missing, of whom police traced 2,479 cases, a recovery rate of 90%, according to home department data.Police linked Bengaluru’s higher numbers to its population and urban lifestyle. “Being the capital of the state, Bengaluru has a larger population, and this is why the number is higher here. Cases mostly involve elopement and running away from home as minors are exposed to a modern environment. Also, the lifestyle, where mobile phones have become part of everyone’s life, influences minors to take steps like elopement or running away. We saw many cases where boys and girls, scolded by parents or guardians for overusing mobile phones, ran away from home,” a senior police officer said.Girls more likely reported missingPolice said families report missing girls faster than boys. “When parents or guardians find their daughter missing, they will not hesitate to approach the police because they want to ensure the safety of the missing girl. Also, in elopement cases, it will be the girl’s family who will come to the police first. When a boy runs away, the family will not act hastily. Also, boys who run away on their own mostly return home, unlike girls,” the officer said.Investigators said kidnapping cases place immense pressure on police to ensure a victim’s safety. They cited the Aug Bengaluru case, where a 13-year-old boy kidnapped for ransom was killed, and the Oct Mysuru case, in which a 9-year-old was kidnapped and raped. “In cases like this, investigating cops will be under tremendous pressure; they have to ensure the victim’s safety while also catching the offenders,” an officer said.Elopement and runaway cases pose a different challenge, police said. “Here, the minors will do everything to conceal themselves. They stop using phones, never contact family or friends, travel to faraway places, and so on. However, we can trace them with the help of technology like CCTV footage,” the officer added.Net tightened with DMPUsTo speed up investigations into untraced children and women, director-general and inspector-general of police MA Saleem announced the formation of district missing person units (DMPUs) across districts and cities.“DMPUs will be responsible for the collection, collation, analysis and review of data relating to missing children and missing persons. Also, DMPUs should act as a nodal coordination unit for inter-district, inter-state, and inter-agency communication in missing person cases. Every police station should have a missing person squad, led by a sub-inspector and with four constables or head constables, including women cops,” the DG&IGP said.“The police department makes sincere efforts to trace all missing minor cases. Majority of cases are being traced. Some cases are difficult due to the lapse of time, as the physical appearance of minors changes due to growth spurts,” Saleem said.BOX: Child Disappearances: By the NumbersYear: 2023 Missing children reported: 3,039 – 2,131 girls and 908 boys. Traced: 2,962 – 2,089 girls and 873 boys. Year: 2024 Missing children reported: 3,411 – 2,436 girls and 975 boys. Traced: 3,266 – 2,336 girls and 930 boys. Year: 2025, up to Nov 15 Missing children reported: 3,189 – 2,324 girls and 865 boys. Traced: 2,317 – 1,641 girls and 676 boys.
