The police department stressed that missing persons cases should be treated with the utmost seriousness, urgency and sensitivity. | Photo credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto
To strengthen investigation, monitoring and coordination in cases of missing children and persons, the Karnataka Police has ordered the establishment of District/Divisional Missing Persons Units (DMPUs) and Missing Persons Units (MPSs) across the state.
According to a January 21 circular issued in compliance with the directions of the Supreme Court and various high courts, the police department emphasized that missing persons cases should be treated with utmost seriousness, urgency and sensitivity. The circular warns that delays, a haphazard approach or a lack of coordination can lead to irreversible damage, including human trafficking, exploitation and loss of life.
According to the circular, each district and each commissioner will set up a DMPU under the district police office or the respective commissioners. The DMPU will function under the DCRB/CCRB and will be responsible for the collection, collation, analysis and verification of data relating to missing children and persons.
The unit will function under the supervision of an Additional Superintendent of Police (Crime) or Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) and will act as a nodal coordinating authority for inter-district, inter-state and inter-departmental communications. The circular further mandates that every police station must have an MPS, consisting of one PSI in charge and four staff, including a police station.
The MPS will function under the supervision of an Inspector or CPI and will ensure prompt registration of cases, immediate field action, continuous monitoring and proper documentation. It also reiterates that cases referred to the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Unit (AHTU) will be investigated exclusively by the AHTU, strictly in accordance with existing standing orders and standard operating procedures. To ensure accountability, the Karnataka Police has directed round-the-clock monitoring of data uploads on the prescribed digital portals.
Senior child welfare officers have been tasked with personally following up the cases until the missing children are traced.
The growing numbers are cause for concern
According to statistics shared recently during Question Hour in the Legislature, the number of cases of missing children has been on the rise over the years. The data indicates that 1,517 children went missing in 2020. In 2021, the number increased to 2,073, in 2022, the number of cases increased to 2,509, in 2023, the number climbed to 2,962, and in 2024, over 3,200 cases of missing children were reported. In 2025 (until November 15), over 2,300 cases have already been registered.
Separate data on untraceable missing children also shows a worrying trend of backlogs increasing year-on-year, underscoring the need for specialized units and stricter monitoring mechanisms.
All officers of the unit have been instructed to take immediate steps to form DMPU and MPS and ensure strict adherence to the instructions issued in the circular. The step, according to the senior police officer, will help focus the search for the missing girl and children and a selfless approach will help in the performance.
The police at the jurisdictional level have been practicing this for a long time and for various reasons missing cases are treated as a lower priority due to the heavy workload. Reported missing cases are generally due to marital and family disputes, and in some cases have been falsely reported due to financial disputes, runaways and running away from home among young children.
Such cases have the least priority for the police, unless the cases involving missing children and minor girls and women are classified as serious parts of kidnapping, the officer said. Since an exclusively dedicated unit is deployed, the chances of detection may increase, another police officer added.
Director General and Inspector General of Police MA Saleem emphasized the importance that the effort is to improve the detection rate from 91% to 99%. “Missing cases need to be prioritized to curb possible human trafficking and that can only be done by police officers who have the expertise, powers and authority. Investigating such cases also improves basic policing,” he added.
Published – 29 Jan 2026 19:58 IST
