94,000 people who went missing in Maharashtra yet to be found

The total number of people who went missing across the country in 2016 was 5.49 lakh (2.34 lakh men and 3.15 lakh women).

Maharashtra reported the most number of missing people (94,919; 49,338 women and 45,581 men) in 2016, states the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data. While 52,209 of these cases were filed last year, 42,710 are missing people from the previous years who are yet to be found.

The total number of people who went missing across the country in 2016 was 5.49 lakh (2.34 lakh men and 3.15 lakh women). (FILE)

The total number of people who went missing across the country in 2016 was 5.49 lakh (2.34 lakh men and 3.15 lakh women). The other states which reported maximum number of missing people are West Bengal (85,855; 53,654 women and 32,201 men), and Madhya Pradesh (59,660; 39,375 women and 20,285 men).

A case in point could be Bhaskar Sawant, 64, who stepped out of his home in a western suburb in the city earlier this year. “He was absolutely healthy. There was no reason for him to leave,” said his relative Aniruddha Sawant.

Another case in 2016 where a ‘missing case’ turned out to be a full-fledged murder is the Sheena Bora case

The NCRB has separated the data for missing children. Maharashtra recorded 9,982 cases, followed by West Bengal (16,881) and Delhi (14,661).

“It is a matter of concern,” said former assistant commissioner of police Vasant Dhoble, founder of website missingpeopleinfo.com, who was also known for his crackdown on bars in the city. “The age-wise data needs to be analysed. Missing cases of minors are treated as kidnapping based on the SC directive.”