176 minors reported missing in city in 9 months

Manish Gajbhiye

Aurangabad

As many as 176 children under the age of 18 years went missing in the city from January to September. The police have succeeded in finding 136 of them but 40 are still missing.

In all, 170 cases of missing children were registered in 17 police stations coming under the jurisdiction of the police commissionerate during these nine months.

Among the missing children, the number of girls missing is more than the number of boys. From January to September, 135 girls and 41 boys were reported missing. Similarly, in the same period, 101 girls and 35 boys were found but 34 girls and 6 boys have not been traced yet.

Bharosa Cell PI Amrapali Tayade said there are several reasons for children going missing. In the maximum number of cases registered, children have left home on their own. Similarly, sometimes, the minor girls are lured on the pretext of marrying them. The cases of kidnapping are registered in such cases under section 363 of IPC.

The maximum number of missing cases 47 were registered in Waluj MIDC and 23 in Mukundwadi police stations. Illiteracy among the parents is the major reason for the lack of proper dialogue between them and the children. In their teenage, children are very sensitive and take wrong decisions in their lives. Hence, there should be a proper watch and guidance of the parents on the activities of children, said PI Tayade.

Many girls below the age of 18 years are lured into love affairs and later kidnapped. These cases are looked after by the anti-human trafficking unit operated in the commissionerate. Moreover, criminals forcibly kidnap children, especially girls, and indulge them in child abuse. The city police remain always alert in the occurrence of such incidents and take immediate action.

Cases of missing children (Jan to Sept, 2022)

Missing children - 176

Boys - 41

Girls - 135

Found children - 136

Boys - 35

Girls - 101

Children not found - 40

Boys - 6

Girls - 34

Maximum cases registered (PS)

Waluj MIDC - 47

Minimum cases registered (PS)

Vedantnagar - 2