'Paid promotion': Delhi Police slam 'missing girls' panic going viral on social media

DElhi constabulary on fri said claims on societal media near a upsurge in missing girls in the national capital were being amplified through paid promotions, and warned of strict action against those spreading panic for monetary gain.In a statement, the police said, "After following a few leads, we discovered that the hype around the surge in missing girls in Delhi is being pushed through paid promotion. Creating panic for monetary gains won't be tolerated, and we'll take strict action against such individuals."Data shared by the Delhi Police shows that the number of people reported missing in the national capital in January this year was proportionately lower than in previous years, countering claims of a recent surge.According to the data, 1,777 people were reported missing in January 2026, a figure below the monthly averages for the past two years. In comparison, Delhi recorded 24,893 missing persons in 2024 and 24,508 in 2025, police data showed.The figures come amid recent concerns sparked by data from the first 15 days of January, which indicated that an average of 54 people were being reported missing each day in the national capital.Data includes short-term absencesResponding to the concerns, the Delhi Police clarified that missing-person reports also include short-term absences, such as temporary loss of contact, and do not necessarily point to long-term disappearances.The police added that detection rates tend to improve over time as investigations progress. Official data further shows that the number of missing persons reported in January this year is below the monthly average recorded since 2024.The Delhi Police said the capital follows an online and app-based system for registering missing-person reports, including cases of short-term absence. It said citizens often file reports as a precaution in situations such as children being delayed from school or individuals being temporarily unreachable over phone calls.The police added, “Many such cases are traced quickly but still appear in official statistics, as parents do not report tracing of children/persons.”How Delhi compares globally on missing personsA report cited by the Delhi Police said the capital’s missing person rate is lower than global benchmarks, particularly when compared with the United Kingdom and the United States.According to the report, the missing person rate in Delhi is around 122 per 100,000 population, while the corresponding figure stands at around 254 in London and the UK, and about 138 in the United States, as reported by HT earlier.