Half of over 1,800 children reported missing found: Delhi Police

New Delhi: More than 1,800 children were reported to have gone missing in the first four months of 2018 with, according to Delhi Police, who added that around 50 percent of these kids have been rescued and many even reunited with their families.

The Delhi Police data for 2018 (till April 15), accessed by Millennium Post, claimed that in this period, out of 1,812 missing children, 954 were traced, thanks to detailed investigation launched into in every missing case received by them.

Moreover, cops also arrested 85 persons for their involvement in kidnapping.

Many a times, children reported missing are found to be living in children's homes in another state. An official of Delhi Police said that some children were traced with the help of clues, such as name of their village or a nearby pond.

The most common reason for a child to go missing is that after they visit someplace, they are unable to state their home address, which results in them getting lost or even kidnapped.

The Anti-Human Trafficking Unit of Crime Branch has been one of the most devoted departments of Delhi Police which have worked to reunite more and more children with their families.

The West Delhi Police recently reunited more than 50 children with their families. In one such case, a child was found to have been living in Karnal, Haryana, with an NGO, after he went missing in 2016.

"Since my child was traced by police, I have made a sticker of the phone number on his hand so that he can easily be traced," said the boy's mother, who went missing from RK Puram area.

The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) recently visited several child care institutions (CCI) and found that offer refuge to many children from different states who are to be reunited with their families.

According to NCPCR, if a child gives hints about his or her state, such as language or the name of a place, the child should be sent to that particular state as it raises the chances of reuniting them with the family.

"If sent to the particular state, the minor can give few more clues about the place where he or she belongs and chances increase of getting reunited," said an official of the Commission.

It has also encouraged that missing children should be provided in Aadhaar card, so that they get a concrete identity.

The Commission has been advocating that every child living in children's home in the Capital as well as other states should be enrolled into the Aadhaar.

A missing children, once given an Aadhaar, will be given the address of the particular children home where he or she is currently staying, which could ease his or her retracing.

Yashwant Jain, member, NCPCR, said the Commission is taking the issue of missing seriously and wants them to be reunite with their respective families.

"Aadhaar plays an important role in tracing and giving an identity to the child," he said.