Most girls who went missing are from Indore, relatives or neighbours are suspects

Indore district has seen the highest number of incidents of missing and kidnapped children from Madhya Pradesh since 2019.

According to statistics, the number of missing girls in Indore is three times that of boys. This figure was 732 and 245 respectively. This has come to light in the research report done by the IIM-Indore team about six months into the matter of missing children. It has been said in the report that in cases of disappearance and kidnapping of children, especially girls, relatives or neighbors are the accused.

This was revealed in a study carried out by the IIM.

In most of the cases, the victims are in the age group of 13 to 17. The case study revealed that in most of the cases the culprit is a neighbour or relative. Girls leave home due to fear of family disputes and child marriage.

-Most of the missing minors are in the age group of 13 to 17 years.

- Most of the cases of missing minors are from Chandan Nagar, Azad Nagar, Lasudia, Dwarkapuri and Bhanwarkuan. In this category, there are five high risk zones of the city.

- The motive behind such crimes is rape/physical assault, intention to marry and love affair.

- In the case of missing minor girls, most of the accused are in the age group of 18 to 23 years.

The investigating officers came to know that during counseling in the Child Welfare Committee, the girls become ready to go back with their parents. Professional psychological counseling can help girls recover from trauma.

The report made some suggestions also.

-Efforts should be made to reduce such cases by working on the theory of EIC i.e. Information, Education, Communication. People should be made aware in the identified areas. Efforts should be made by connecting with other departments and society to reduce such cases.

-Launching awareness programs in settlements/localities and schools/colleges to make teenagers and youth aware. Try to show short awareness videos/short films etc. about POCSO/JJ Act and these matters on social media and during movies in cinema halls.

-More cases are reported in teenage girls. Many times there are family reasons behind the disappearance. For this, the family should be counseled by experts and family counseling centers should be established.

- There should be a central system in cases of kidnapping and missing children, so that proper arrangements can be made for transportation and other resources for recovery.

-There should be a reward based incentive system in the department, in which police officers who do good work in record time in such cases get rewarded. This will also encourage other policemen and help in quick disposal of cases and reduction in them.

- Special teams should be formed to resolve the cases, which will train the investigating officers.