Has the fear of “increased kidnappings” gripped you after WhatsApp messages and social posts claiming a sudden surge in missing persons in Delhi? Fear not, say Delhi Police.
On Friday, Delhi Police slammed the “hype around the surge in missing girls in Delhi” calling it “paid promotions” in a post on their official X handle. Joint Commissioner and PRO of Delhi Police Sanjay Tyagi tells HTCity that “there is no abnormal spike”. On Thursday, Delhi Police also released data showing a 2% drop in missing persons cases since last year.
“This data is routinely reported every year... We need to contextualise it. And this number (807 in the first fortnight of 2026) doesn’t factor in people who have been reunited with their family. In 2025, out of 24,508 missing persons reported, 15,421 had been traced,” says another Delhi Police officer.
{{/usCountry}}“This data is routinely reported every year... We need to contextualise it. And this number (807 in the first fortnight of 2026) doesn’t factor in people who have been reunited with their family. In 2025, out of 24,508 missing persons reported, 15,421 had been traced,” says another Delhi Police officer.
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile, their ‘paid campaign’ claim has set conjectures flying over who might be orchestrating it. BJP’s IT head Amit Malviya called it a Hindi film’s paid campaign, and many related it to the recently released Mardaani 3 based on the same theme. However, the film’s producer Yash Raj Films have strongly denied it.
Mardaani 3 producer denies paid campaign claim
A YRF spokesperson in response to our query said, “Yash Raj Films is a 50-year-old company founded on the core principles of being highly ethical and transparent. We strongly deny the accusations floating on social media that Mardaani 3’s promotional campaign has deliberately sensationalised a sensitive issue like this. We have immense trust in our authorities that they will share all facts and truths in due course of time.”