Why Delhi Police Dismissed 'Missing Children' Surge as Paid Misinformation

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The Delhi Police recently spoke out about rumors circulating on social media regarding missing people, as many people were worried about an alleged spike in the number of disappearances. However, official records show that missing person reports actually dropped in January 2026.

The previous month, 1,777 people were reported missing, which is much lower than the 2025 monthly average of 2,042. Authorities are now warning the public about ‘paid promotions’ that spread fear for money.

Delhi police tweet

 
Fact-Checking the ‘54-a-Day’ Narrative

Reports from the first 15 days of January showed 807 cases, which equals about 54 people per day. However, Delhi Police PRO Sanjay Tyagi said these numbers can be confusing and explained that they need proper context.

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"There is no need to fear or panic regarding the missing persons in Delhi, especially children. Compared to the past, there has been no increase in reporting missing persons in Delhi," Tyagi stated in an official video published by Delhi Police on X (previously Twitter).

The police have an easy app-based reporting system so that the families can report a person missing immediately. However, it also makes daily numbers look high despite many of these cases being solved within just a few hours.

Why Do Tracing Rates Appear Low in the Short Term?

Finding a missing person takes time, as it is a slow process that adds up over months. In fact, only 235 of the 807 people from early January were found in the first two weeks. However, data shows that more people were found eventually.

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As per the report published by Hindustan Times, "Detection of missing persons is a time-dependent and cumulative process... records show that of the 23,409 missing in 2016, 85 per cent were traced over a period of 9 years," the Delhi Police noted in a statement.

In 2025, about 63% of missing people were found within the same year. The 2026 numbers will likely show the same results. Many people also return home on their own, but their families often forget to tell the police that they are back. This makes the official data look worse than it really is. In the future, the police may try to improve how they record when someone is found, making real-time data more accurate for everyone.