7,899 are yet to return home: Mumbai Police look for the missing link

Of the total cases, 3,473 were filed this year.

Of the 82,822 people reported missing from 2011 to September 2018, 7,899, including 598 children below 15 years of age, are still to be found, the Mumbai police said in response to a Right to Information (RTI) query. Those who are yet to be found include 3,629 males and 4,270 females.

Of the total cases, 3,473 were filed this year. (HT Photo)

Of the total cases, 3,473 were filed this year. The data showed that most complaints for women were in the 16-25 age group (2,224), while for men were in the 26-40 age group (1,126). The 598 minors include 49 boys and 46 girls aged below 10.

“Men in the 26-40 age group face a lot of family problems such fights at home, disagreement with parents, financial crisis or search for a better job or life. For women in the 16-25 age group, love affairs are a major reason followed by marital discord and family problems such as harassment at home,” said a police officer, who previously worked with the Mumbai Police’s Missing Persons Bureau.

Snehal Tanawade, 29, a counsellor with Hamara Foundation who counsels rescued children, said, “Study pressure, failure in examination, peer pressure, scolding at home and poverty are the main reasons.”

Head constable Rajesh Pandey from Andheri police station, who has investigated several such cases, said, “The most important thing for us is to first find out why the person went missing. Recently, we came across a girl who left home because of harassment at home. In this age of internet, factors like love affairs, working in the film industry, urge to make fast money also drive youngsters away.”