Yes, 831 People Went Missing in Delhi in 15 Days, but Here’s the Full Context
The claim about Delhi Police issuing a high alert in the state is incorrect.
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Multiple news reports and several social media posts are circulating to claim that the Delhi Police has issued an alert after the state witnessed a surge in missing persons cases. According to these claims, over 800 such cases were registered in the first 15 days of this year.
These posts were shared in a manner suggesting that the state was witnessing such numbers for the first time in a short period. Swipe left to see some examples of similar posts.
An archive of the post can be found here.
An archive of the post can be found here.
An archive of the post can be found here.
An archive of the post can be found here.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) also questioned the Home Ministry about the alleged rise in the number of kidnapping cases in Delhi on their social media.
What we know: While Delhi has indeed witnessed 831 missing persons cases in the first 15 days of this year, the full context seems to be missing.
The claim about Delhi Police issuing a high alert is incorrect.
It should also be noted that the state has seen similar figures of missing persons in previous years as well.
The claims about a rise in kidnapping cases have been presented in a sensational manner, causing public panic and anxiety.
Has Delhi Police issued a high alert?: No, the state police has not issued any such alert.
The data that over 800 people were missing within 15 days in Delhi was accesed and reported by news agency PTI on 30 January.
This report was published on 30 January.
(Source: PTI/Screenshot)
Following this, several claims circulated on the internet making it seem like the police had officially issued the said information. Some examples could be seen here and here.
Where did this figure come from?: We found a centralised portal, where several datasets related to missing persons cases, unidentified bodies, habitual offenders, stolen vehicles, and stolen mobile phones were available.
Apart from Delhi, the data for Haryana, Punjab, Chandigarh, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh can be seen on the portal. The information is available to the public.
On going through the missing persons dataset, we found that there were 831 cases registered between 1 and 15 January that were yet to be resolved. During the same period, 225 entries were recorded for individuals who had been traced by the police.
This meant that the claim about over 800 people going missing within 15 days of this year was indeed correct.
A screenshot of the portal.
(Source: Zipnet/Screenshot)
A similar pattern in previous years: Team WebQoof looked at the data from previous years that specifically showed the number of individuals who went missing between 1 and 15 January.
Between 1 January 2025 and 15 January 2025, 922 missing persons cases were reported. Police were unable to find 557 people.
A total of 989 missing persons cases were reported between 1 January 2024 and 15 January 2024. Police were unable to find the victims in 586 cases.
Between 1 January 2023 and 15 January 2023, 1258 people were reported missing. Police were unable to find 725 of these people.
Between 1 and 15 January 2022, a total of 937 people were reported missing, of whom the police were unable to trace 477.
Between 1 and 15 January 2021, 1088 people were reported missing, and the police were unable to find 556 of them.
This clearly shows that the figure for this year was not the highest and that the state has seen a similar pattern over the years.
On going through the total number of missing persons cases registered annually showed that about 1,12,846 people have gone missing between 2020 to 2024 (full figure for 2025 was not available). Out of which, the Delhi police traced around 82,878 individuals.
This data was shared by the state police in an RTI manual.
Annual figure for missing persons cases in Delhi.
What did the police say?: We reached out to Sanjay Tyagi, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Delhi Police to further verify the veracity of the social media claims.
The Delhi Police has also released a video clarifying that there has been no increase in missing cases this year compared to previous years.
The police stated, "We wish to clarify that there is no need to panic over the rumors being spread regarding missing persons, especially the disappearance of children." (sic.)
On 6 February, the Delhi Police said on its official X handle that after following several leads, it found the alleged surge in missing girls was being amplified through paid promotions.
The police added that any attempts to create panic for monetary gain would not be tolerated and warned of strict action against those responsible.
Why Is It Important To Be Cautious Before Sharing Alert Related Posts?
The question may arise that if the figure of more than 800 people missing is true, then what is wrong with sharing the post related to the alert?
Firstly, the Delhi Police has not issued any such alert, making it a false alert. More importantly, the often exaggerated nature of theft, missing persons, and kidnapping cases has serious consequences for society.
This has been evident, for example, in cases involving child-kidnapping rumours. When incidents were blown out of proportion, innocent people suffered, and those unrelated to the crime faced violence.
A similar incident occurred last year in Uttar Pradesh, where minor incidents of theft were exaggerated on social media. The result was violence against several innocent villagers in various villages across Uttar Pradesh.
Editor's Note: The large number of missing-persons cases is indeed concerning, and people should remain vigilant. However, it should be noted that the result lies in systemic changes and not in panic. This could increase fear-mongering and impact people's lives in a negative way.
(Not convinced of a post or information you came across online and want it verified? Send us the details on WhatsApp at 9540511818 , or e-mail it to us at webqoof@thequint.com and we'll fact-check it for you. You can also read all our fact-checked stories here.)