Bhopal: More than 130 women and girls disappear every day in Madhya Pradesh, according to official government records tabled in the state assembly.
Congress MLA Vikrant Bhuria raised the issue, prompting Chief Minister Mohan Yadav to confirm 2,74,311 cases reported between 2020 and January 28, 2026. This averages 45,000 annually, 3,700 monthly, and 130 daily over six years.
Of these, 2,35,977 have been traced, leaving 68,334 still missing. Yearly peaks include over 30,000 in 2020, 39,000 in 2021, 40,000 in 2023, and 31,000 in 2025, with over 1,000 in early 2026 alone. Major cities like Indore, Bhopal, Gwalior, Jabalpur, and Ujjain report the highest numbers, alongside tribal and border districts.
MLA Bhuria called it a humanitarian crisis akin to international exploitation cases like the Epstein files, demanding high-level accountability beyond routine policing.
When thousands of women remain untraced, it's not merely a law-and-order issue. This reflects a structural failure. It cannot be dismissed as routine reports. High-level accountability and transparency are essential, he stated.
Meanwhile, reports of a sharp rise in missing persons in the national capital had already surfaced. Delhi Police data from early January revealed 807 people went missing in just two weeks. The figures show most were women—509 in total—for the period from January 1 to 15, averaging 54 daily.
Of the 807, 298 were men. While 191 minors went missing, 616 were adults. On average, 13 children disappear daily. Notably, 146 of the missing minors were girls.
Among children aged 8 to 12 years, 13 went missing—including eight boys and five girls. Only three boys have been traced so far.
Of the missing minors, 169 were aged 12-18 years. Among them, 138 were girls and 31 boys, with 29 girls and 19 boys later traced, while the rest remain unaccounted for.
Of the 616 missing adults, 363 were women and 253 men. Police traced 90 men and 91 women, leaving 435 still unaccounted for. So far, 235 people—including women, men, and children—have been found from the two-week total, with 572 yet to be located.
Another shocking reality: 24,508 people went missing from Delhi throughout 2025 (January to December). Of these, 60% (14,870) were women, with 9,638 men. While 15,421 have been traced, 9,087 remain unaccounted for.
Over the past decade (2016-2026), missing persons reports in Delhi have risen annually. Police data shows 2,32,737 cases total, with 1.8 lakh traced but 52,000 still missing. 2025 saw the decade's highest with 14,870 women unaccounted for.