THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Indicating that parents should be more careful about their children, the state government informed that 103 children have gone missing in Kerala in the last six years. In the wake of human sacrifice in Pathanamthitta, the police chief has ordered reinvestigating the missing cases by deputing special teams on a district basis. Alappuzha SP G Jaidev and Kollam Commissioner Merin Joseph have been made the nodal officers to coordinate the investigation.
Among the missing, 67 are boys and 36 are girls. Police were unable to find these kids despite conducting a nationwide search after forming special cells of SPs. In the last six years, 5400 boys and more than 5500 girls went missing. The police were able to find a vast majority of these children. Police have not been able to find twenty children who went missing this year. The police do not have the figures regarding the missing children of nomads and people from other states.
More children went missing in rural Thiruvananthapuram. More boys are missing in Malappuram. Most of the missing children are between the ages of nine and seventeen. About 80 girls go missing every month. Most of the missing cases are elopements following a love affair. Police have been bringing back these girls and filing POCSO cases against those who eloped with them.
Behind the disappearance
Missing children
2015...................................1969
2016...................................1735
2017...................................1774
2018...................................2153
2019...................................2342
Kidnap cases
2016...................................157
2017...................................184
2018...................................205
2019...................................280
2020...................................200
2021...................................257
2022...................................187
(Until August)