Shadow of missing people increasing in Madhya Pradesh, 50 thousand out of 2.69 lakh cases still untraced

• More cases in urban districts including Indore, Bhopal
• More than Rs 41 crore budget, still questions remain

Bhopal. Missing women and girls in Madhya Pradesh have now become not just a crime statistic but a complex humanitarian challenge facing both the government and the society. The latest figures presented by the government in the Assembly have highlighted the seriousness of this problem. In the last six years, 2 lakh 69 thousand 500 women and girls were reported missing from across the state, out of which no concrete clue has been found till now about 50 thousand.

The government claims that in more than 1 lakh 58 thousand cases, the police have successfully investigated and recovered women and girls. Yet about 48 thousand women and more than 2,200 girls are still in the ‘pending’ category. This situation shows that despite the success of rescue operations, serious gaps exist in the search and rehabilitation process.

Analysis of the data shows that from 2020 to the beginning of 2026, more than 2.06 lakh women and about 63,500 girls went missing. Most of them were brought back due to police action, but thousands of cases remaining unresolved raise many questions. Are there delays in initial reporting? Is interstate coordination not enough? Or do factors like human trafficking and economic migration complicate the investigation? The situation in major cities is also worrying. Indore recorded the highest number of missing persons, while Bhopal, Gwalior and Jabalpur also remained among the top districts. This problem has become more prominent in areas with rapid urbanization and industrial expansion. However, the figures of tribal and border districts are no less worrying. Experts believe that migration for employment, domestic disputes, child marriage and organized human trafficking networks could be the major reasons behind this trend.

The government told the Assembly that unless concrete information is received in a case, it is not closed. There are 52 women police stations and 987 help desks active across the state, which ensure monitoring and speedy registration of such cases. Special operations are being conducted to search for minors and a one-year statewide search operation is also going on, which is regularly reviewed at the police headquarters level. A provision of Rs 41 crore 88 lakh 54 thousand 200 has been made for women safety programs in the financial year 2025-26. There are plans to use this amount to strengthen infrastructure, run awareness campaigns and develop technical tracking systems. Officials say that efforts are being made to increase the recovery rate through database integration and better coordination with other states.

Despite this, opposition members and some public representatives have raised questions on long-term strategy, budget utilization and departmental coordination. He says that mere search operations are not enough, but rehabilitation and social security system will also have to be strengthened. Special monitoring and community participation is necessary, especially in those districts where incidents of missing persons are frequent.

Police officers also believe that timely filing of complaint is most important. The first 24 to 48 hours are decisive in terms of investigation. For this reason, an appeal has been made to the families to immediately report the missing. There is also a plan to increase awareness programs at schools and Panchayat level, so that vulnerable sections can be identified in time. The question is that when recovery has been possible in most of the cases, then why are the remaining thousands of cases not being solved? Are technical resources insufficient, or do socio-economic conditions complicate investigations? It is expected that the detailed discussion in the Assembly will review the existing mechanism and make the strategy of search, coordination and rehabilitation more effective.

The government says efforts will continue until the last woman or girl is located. But this story of statistics shows that missing persons in Madhya Pradesh have now become not just a law and order issue but a challenge demanding comprehensive social intervention.