Delhi reported 807 missing persons in the first 15 days of January 2026, with women and girls making up nearly two-thirds of the cases.
However, the annual data shows the city averaged over 2,000 missing persons a month in 2025.
Minors, particularly teenage girls, remain a major concern, with 191 children reported missing in January 2026.
Swati B., a 38-year-old corporate professional based in Gurugram, came across a series of social media posts about people going missing in Delhi. As she scrolled, the same messages appeared repeatedly, triggering anxiety about the safety of her parents and other family members living in the capital city.
“I called them up immediately. The fear got to my head, I couldn’t think about anything else,” she said.
As many as 807 people were reported missing in Delhi in the first 15 days of 2026, with women and girls accounting for nearly two-thirds of the cases, according to official Delhi Police data.
Between January 1 and 15, the cases averaged to about 54 cases a day. Of those reported missing, 509 were women and girls, while 298 were men.
So far, police have traced 235 individuals, but 572 people remain untraced, leaving hundreds of families anxiously awaiting news of their loved ones.
The latest data circulating among Delhiites has fuelled anxiety, prompting some single women living in south-eastern Delhi’s Okhla to change their phone wallpapers to emergency helpline numbers.
Sheena Khan, a 27-year-old lawyer who regularly has to commute to work, said: “I have a demanding role which often necessitates me leaving after dark. This news made me feel conscious about my safety.” She therefore changed her wallpaper to helpline numbers of Delhi Police, NCB and Delhi Police’s Women Wing.
“I did not want to be caught in a situation of emergency and panic over help,” she said.
However, figures of untraced missing people from previous years suggest the numbers are not unprecedented. In January last year, 1,420 people were reported missing. The figure stood at 1,602 in 2024, 2,432 in 2023 and 1,180 in 2022.
Outlook reached out to the Delhi Police seeking clarity on the reasons behind the growing fear, but did not receive a response. The story will be updated if and when a response is received.
“Even if the figure of 807 missing people is not extraordinary, that doesn’t mean it isn’t dangerous. In fact, it makes it worse if no action is being taken,” Swati said, adding that the fear feels especially real for women. “I noticed the news was being shared more by women than men, and even around me it’s women who are more concerned.”
She added that when women are forced to worry all the time about their safety, it leaves little space for them to think freely or be creative.
What more does the data tell us?
As many as 24,843 people went missing in 2025, averaging about 2,070 missing persons every month. 21, 696 went missing in 2024, 25,088 in 2023 and 21, 739 in 2022, according to Delhi Police’s website.
For January 2026, minors accounted for 191 missing cases, with girls forming the majority at 146 compared to 45 boys. Most of the missing minors were teenagers, with 169 adolescents reported missing, including 138 girls and 31 boys.
Police data shows that nearly 71 per cent of these teenage cases remain unresolved.
Adults made up the largest group of missing persons. During the same period, 616 adults were reported missing, including 363 women and 253 men. Police have traced 181 adults, while 435 cases are still pending.
Among younger children, 13 aged between eight and 12 went missing, while nine children below eight years were also reported missing. So far, only six children from these age groups have been traced, the report said.
Nationwide cases of kidnapping and abduction have risen by 3 per cent, according to the latest data from the National Crime Records Bureau. The cases have increased from 101,707 in 2021 to 107,588 in 2022 and further to 113,564 in 2023.
*Some names have been changed on request
