Delhi Police on Thursday rejected claims of a sudden rise in cases of missing girls in the national capital, calling the reports misleading and driven by paid online promotion meant to create panic among people.
In an official statement, the police said they traced the source of the viral claims and found that the narrative of a sharp increase in missing girls was being spread through sponsored social media posts. “After following a few leads, we discovered that the hype around the surge in missing girls in Delhi is being pushed through paid promotion. Creating panic for monetary gains will not be tolerated, and we will take strict action against such individuals,” Delhi Police said in a post on X.
The clarification came after several media reports and social media posts claimed that 807 people went missing in Delhi between January 1 and January 15, 2026. According to the circulated data, around 54 people were reported missing every day during this period, with 509 women and girls and 298 men. The same data also claimed that 191 of the missing persons were minors.
Delhi Police, however, said there was no unusual rise in missing persons cases compared to previous years. Joint Commissioner of Police Sanjay Tyagi dismissed the reports as rumours and said the trend remained consistent with past data. He added that January 2026 had actually seen a decline in missing cases.
While the police did not immediately release fresh daily figures, they later clarified that 1,777 missing cases were reported in January, which was lower than the monthly average. In comparison, 24,508 missing cases were registered in 2025, with an average of about 2,042 cases per month. “The January figure is proportionately lower and does not indicate any emerging trend,” the police said.
The police also said that missing persons data is cumulative and time dependent, and recovery often takes place over weeks or months. They highlighted initiatives like Operation Milap and the use of AI based tools, which have helped trace thousands of missing persons. According to official data, around 1,80,805 missing persons were reunited with their families between 2016 and 2025, reflecting a recovery rate of nearly 77 percent.
The issue sparked a political reaction as well. The Aam Aadmi Party targeted the BJP led Delhi government, calling the city “Lapataganj”, a term used to describe a place where people keep going missing. “In the last 15 days, more than 800 people have gone missing in Delhi. Sixty three percent of them are women and girls,” AAP said in a post.
Former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal also termed the situation alarming and questioned the BJP over safety in the capital. “These circumstances are not normal. The safety of people in the country’s capital has been left to God,” he said.
Delhi Police later clarified that the viral claims were linked to promotional activity, possibly related to a film on missing children, and were amplified by influencers and political leaders without verification. The police urged people to stay calm, remain vigilant and avoid believing unverified social media posts. They warned that legal action would be taken against anyone found spreading misinformation for personal or financial gain.
