Missing kids: Police told to put up data on website

Following the court’s directive,Delhi Police counsel Pawan Sharma had tendered the affidavit before a Division Bench detailing the number of children who went missing since 2006,those who were later recovered and the reasons behind their disappearance.

According to the affidavit,the reasons why they went missing is “social” in nature and “were not of the kind preventable by the police”.

Also,as opposed to common perception,the police hasn’t found any criminal gang involved in the kidnapping or illicit trafficking of children. “No organised gang in kidnapping children for any unlawful activity has so far come to notice in Delhi,” the document stated.

Informing the court that the police had initiated measures like the computerisation of records and updating data of missing children to streamline the process of inquiry,the affidavit stated a sample survey was also conducted to ascertain the reasons.

The highest number of teenaged children were reported to missing after they eloped or went to their friends or relatives’ houses without informing parents. Study pressure and parental mistreatment were other reasons prompting children to run away.

According to the affidavit,for children below 12 years,missing reports were registered after they lost the way to their homes. The affidavit also mentioned those who were of unsound mind or ran away to look for employment. The affidavit further told the court there were a few cases of kidnapping and the police had taken “prompt” steps to recover them and bring the guilty to book.

The High Court had in March last year,taken suo motu cognizance over media reports claiming that on an average,17 children go missing every day in the city. The report stated that 2,210 children went missing from the Capital between June ’08 and January ’09.

Missing from city
5,946
went missing in ‘09

4,000
went missing in ‘07 and ‘08

yet to be traced from ‘09
920

yet to be traced from 2006-08
901