Delhi Police: Missing Persons Figures Stable, January 2026 Below Average

Delhi Police on Thursday rejected claims of a surge in missing persons cases in the national capital, stating that official data shows no abnormal rise and that figures have remained broadly stable over the past decade. The clarification comes amid political criticism and public concern following reports that 807 people went missing in the first 15 days of January 2026, averaging nearly 54 cases a day.

According to the police, a total of 1,777 missing persons cases were reported in January 2026, a figure they said was below both the long-term monthly average and comparable periods in previous years. In 2025, Delhi recorded 24,508 missing persons cases, averaging about 2,042 cases per month, while January 2025 alone saw 1,786 cases. Officials said the January 2026 numbers were therefore proportionately lower and did not indicate any emerging trend.

Delhi Police also pointed out that annual missing persons figures have consistently hovered between 23,000 and 24,000 since 2016, despite rapid population growth in the capital. They stressed that missing-person detection is a cumulative and time-dependent process, cautioning against drawing conclusions based on short-term data without proper context.

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Between 2016 and 2025, police said they traced and reunited 180,805 missing persons with their families, reflecting an overall recovery rate of about 77 percent. While 85 percent of cases reported in 2016 have been resolved over nine years, 63 percent of cases registered in 2025 were traced within the same year. Authorities attributed these outcomes to initiatives such as ‘Operation Milap’ and the use of technology, including AI-based facial recognition systems.

Officials also noted that Delhi’s open and accessible reporting system allows missing-person complaints to be filed online without police intervention. This includes short-duration or precautionary reports, such as temporarily unreachable individuals, many of which are resolved quickly but remain on record if families do not update authorities.

To provide broader context, Delhi Police cited international comparisons, stating that the capital reports an average of 122.5 missing persons per 100,000 population, compared with 254 in England and London and 138 in the United States. However, the data also highlighted ongoing concerns, particularly the rising number of women yet to be traced, which increased from 1,606 in 2016 to 5,576 in 2025.

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