Bengaluru sees spike in child abduction cases, most victims are girls: Report

On average, the percentage of untraced children stands at 10.43 per cent for Karnataka.

Bengaluru Urban district has recorded the highest number of child abductions in Karnataka in recent years, with government data revealing a worrying rise in missing children across the state, Bangalore Mirror reported.

Southern Karnataka districts dominate the list of high-incidence area. (Representative image)

From 2020 to 2024, as many as 12,790 children were reported kidnapped across the state, and 1,334 of them remain untraced, according to the report.

What’s particularly alarming is that a majority of the missing are girls. Children going missing on their way to tuitions or during routine outings has become disturbingly common, leaving families in distress and law enforcement with few clues to follow.

The report further adds that southern Karnataka districts dominate the list of high-incidence areas, with Tumakuru, Shivamogga, Mandya, Davanagere, Hassan, Chitradurga, and Mysuru joining Bengaluru in the top ten.

While special task forces have been set up by both state and central governments to investigate missing child cases, many continue to languish without resolution, highlighting systemic failures in prevention and tracking.

Out of the total missing cases, 9,261 involve girls, and nearly 972 remain unaccounted for. Among 3,529 boys reported missing, 362 have not been found, the Bangalore Mirror report stated. On average, the percentage of untraced children stands at 10.43 per cent for the state.

Experts point to deeper issues

According to Bangalore Mirror report, child rights activists and psychologists attribute the increase in disappearances to a complex mix of socio-economic and emotional factors.

Poverty, strained family relationships, academic pressure, and adolescent emotional distress have contributed to children voluntarily leaving home. However, many end up becoming victims of criminal networks involved in trafficking, forced begging, prostitution, organ trade, or child labour, the report added.