The Punjab Police are making every possible effort to locate missing children, men, and women in the state. However, success has been elusive in these cases, with only a 40% success rate in children’s cases and a 24% success rate in cases involving men and women, as reported by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).
According to NCRB statistics, there are currently 2171 missing children in Punjab, of whom 911 are boys and 1260 are girls. Additionally, 12,806 people are still missing in Punjab, including 6737 men and 6069 women. Information from sources indicates that before 2022, a total of 2494 children were missing, with 1185 boys and 1309 girls. However, in 2022 alone, 1113 children went missing, including 186 boys and 927 girls. As of September 2023, 3607 children are missing from Punjab, comprising 1371 boys and 2236 girls.
In terms of police efforts, during 2022, out of 1436 missing children, only 40% of cases were successfully resolved, including 460 boys and 976 girls. Last year, Punjab reported a total of 13,041 missing adults, with 7239 men and 5802 women. In 2022, out of 3628 missing individuals, 1331 were men, and 2297 were women. Presently, 16,669 individuals are reported missing in Punjab, including 8570 men and 8099 women.The police managed to locate only 24% of the missing individuals in 2022, revealing the challenges faced in resolving these cases. According to regional data, Ludhiana has 217 missing children and 303 adults, Jalandhar has 103 missing children and 696 adults, Amritsar has 139 missing children and 167 adults, Bhatinda has 90 missing children and 100 adults, Ferozepur has 22 missing children and 2 adults, Fatehgarh Sahib has 44 missing children and 27 adults, Fazilka has 38 missing children and 105 adults, Firozpur has 46 missing children and 85 adults, Gurdaspur has 28 missing children and 25 adults, Hoshiarpur has 103 missing children and 127 adults, Kapurthala has 16 missing children and 52 adults, Tarn Taran has 3 missing children and 113 adults, Sangrur has 66 missing children and 26 adults, Ropar has 34 missing children and 70 adults, Patiala has 145 missing children and 75 adults, Pathankot has 11 missing children and 71 adults, Nawanshahr has 38 missing children, Muktsar has 10 missing children and 190 adults, Moga has 3 missing children and 126 adults, Mansa has 4 missing children and 72 adults, and Malerkotla has 18 missing children and 12 adults.
The rising number of missing persons in Punjab is a matter of concern, and efforts are ongoing to address and resolve these cases.”