Delhi Sees Over 800 Missing Persons In First Half Of 2026; Women And Girls Form Majority
New Delhi : In the first 15 days of 2026, Delhi recorded 807 missing person reports, with more than 500 of them being women and girls, police data obtained by news agency PTI shows, underlining ongoing public safety concerns in the national capital.
Between January 1 and 15, the city’s police received an average of about 54 missing-person complaints each day, according to official figures. Of the total cases, 509 involved women and girls, while 298 were men.
Despite tracing 235 individuals so far, around 572 people remain unaccounted for, the data indicates. Authorities continue efforts to locate the missing amid rising numbers of unresolved cases.
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The data also reveals that a significant number of the missing persons were minors. 191 children were reported missing during this period, with girls making up the majority—146 girls compared to 45 boys. Teenagers accounted for the largest share of missing minors, with 169 adolescents reported missing, including 138 girls and 31 boys. Nearly 71 per cent of these teenage cases remain unsolved.
Younger age groups also featured in the statistics. In the 8 to 12 age bracket, 13 children were missing, while nine children under eight years old were also reported as untraced. Only a small number of children from these categories have been located so far.
Adults continued to account for most of the missing persons, with 616 adults reported missing in the first half of January. This included 363 women and 253 men. Police have traced some adult cases, but 435 adults still remain missing, the figures show.
The early-year figures parallel 2025 trends, when Delhi recorded over 24,500 missing persons cases, with women constituting more than 60 per cent of those reported. A decade-long review of the data shows that around 2.3 lakh people have been reported missing in the capital over the last ten years, with roughly 52,000 cases still unresolved. Police said they are intensifying tracing operations, especially for cases involving women and children.