Daily Missing Children in Crowded Delhi: 695 Kids Still Await Their Families

New Delhi: In the hustle and bustle of Delhi, children from low-income families often go missing while their parents are busy earning a livelihood. Over the past 11 years, thousands of children aged 0–8 have disappeared in the capital. While the police have recovered most of them, 695 families are still waiting for their missing children. Some cases have revealed the involvement of organized human trafficking gangs, though these account for a small fraction of disappearances.

More Boys Go Missing Each Year

According to police records, 5,559 children aged 0–8 went missing in Delhi over the last 11 years, including 3,216 boys and 2,343 girls. Out of these, 4,864 children were found, leaving 695 still untraced. Encouragingly, the number of missing children has declined over the years: from 850 cases in 2025 to 360 cases as of 23 December 2025. Boys continue to go missing in higher numbers than girls. In 2025, police could not locate 146 children, compared to 119 in 2019 out of 559 reported cases.

Human Trafficking Cases Are Rare

Former ACP of the Crime Branch Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU), Surendra Kumar Gulia, explained that only 1% of missing children fall prey to organized gangs. About 0.5% of cases involve children being kidnapped and sold to couples seeking offspring, often with the criminal being known to the family. In nearly 80% of cases, parental negligence is the main reason children go missing. Families leave young children alone at home while they work, and children often wander off while playing. Such incidents are more common in slum clusters and JJ colonies.

Parental Negligence a Major Factor

Gulia further noted that hurried parents relying on the assumption “they’ll be nearby” often lead to children going missing. Children sometimes follow strangers while crying, leaving parents with no recourse but regret. Even in slum areas targeted by organized gangs, children remain particularly vulnerable. Despite these challenges, the police have an impressive record in recovering young children, though very young children who cannot speak or understand create additional difficulties.

Notable Kidnapping Cases from Last Year

• On 4 June 2025, a 1.5-year-old was kidnapped from Seelampur Metro Station. The accused, Devki, was arrested in December, seven months later. Investigations revealed the child was sold to Dhir Singh and his wife Binita from Arya Nagar for ₹1.5 lakh after being held for 15 days, with an intermediary named Sheila involved. The child was recovered safely.
• On 22 August 2025, a six-month-old boy went missing while the Suresh family from UP’s Banda district waited for a bus at Sarai Kale Khan. The child’s disappearance at night led police to arrest ten people, including a doctor, unmasking a trafficking gang. Six children under the age of one were rescued from this network.

Conclusion

While human trafficking is a concern, the majority of missing children in Delhi vanish due to parental neglect and overcrowded living conditions. Police continue to work tirelessly to reunite missing children with their families, but the statistics highlight the ongoing vulnerability of young children in India’s capital.