12 years, 485 cases: Bengaluru’s crisis of missing girls & women

Bengaluru: Recent crime data from Bengaluru raises safety concerns, with at least 485 women and girls reported missing over the past 12 years and still untraced.

According to data reviewed by DH, 173 girls aged 19 to 21 years remain untraced; 162 girls under 16 years old are still missing; 92 girls aged 17 to 18 years and 58 women aged 22 years or older are also untraced. Among the missing persons are 20 girls placed in juvenile homes. The data further reveals that up to 70 per cent of the missing women and girls belong to economically backward and underprivileged families.

A senior police officer told DH that families with the means to conceal the fact that their wards are missing often follow up regularly and eventually find the person. He added that these families employ methods beyond police investigations to locate the missing person. 

"Social stigma hobbles families from the lower strata. They worry about neighbours gossiping after the missing person returns,” the officer told DH. "Afraid of such a situation, they are even likely to stop pursuing the case and eventually stop responding to investigators."

Investigators note that many complainants turn unresponsive after filing a report, especially for minor girls.

"Often, when love affairs are involved, complainants conceal the background and provide minimal information and then go incommunicado. Even if the person is found, they won't inform the police,” said the officer, adding that they fear that their respect would be at stake. 

According to him, police repeatedly contact complainants, but unresponsive cases remain untraced. When a minor girl elopes and returns married, complainants avoid informing the police to prevent a Pocso (Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences) case against the boy, fearing it would lead to his arrest and affect the girl’s future. 

Police delays

Another source, requesting anonymity, said that police apathy and fear of social constructs can hinder investigations. However, he stressed that police generally take up cases and launch probes.

He also noted that investigators sometimes delay complaints involving missing girls aged 18 to 23, assuming elopement. This delay can allow the girl to cross borders and seek shelter in another state.

He said that police rarely search for a missing person in another state unless pressed by complainants. A senior investigator from the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit stated that they always initiate a probe regardless of the complainant’s background.

Police gather basic details and alert counterparts in other jurisdictions. They follow leads and trace possible routes taken by the missing person, but even a small setback can derail investigations.

Many missing persons fall victim to accidents and go unrecognised, especially if they die in another state. This often leaves their cases unsolved.

Tech advancements 

CCTVs and mobile phone network analysis are key tools for police in missing person cases. Before the CCTV boom, network analysis was the primary method, leaving many older cases unsolved. The Bengaluru police commissioner has now ordered his men to revisit unsolved cases, leading to the resolution of many Long Pending Register (LPR) cases in recent months.

When asked about the possibility of human trafficking, a Central Crime Branch (CCB) officer acknowledged it but stressed that the police’s intelligence wing and CCB officers are closely monitoring such activities. He noted that no recent instances have come to light.