The Delhi Police on Friday rebuked social media claims that there has been a surge in missing people, especially the girls, in the national capital, calling them a 'paid promotion'. The police said this has created 'panic' in the city-state, as it warned of legal actions against those making such claims.
"After following a few leads, we discovered that the hype around the surge in missing girls in Delhi is being pushed through paid promotion," the Delhi Police said in a statement on X (previously Twitter). "Creating panic for monetary gains won't be tolerated, and we'll take strict action against such individuals."
Over 800 missing in Delhi, claims report
A report has claimed that 807 people went missing in the city-state between January 1 and January 15 this year. Of these, 509 were women and girls, while 298 were men. The report also indicated 191 of the 807 people were minors, while the rest were adults. It further noted that the police traced 235 of these people from January 1 to January 27. However, 572 still remain untraced.
Delhi Police committed to children's safety
But the Delhi Police has said that it is committed to the safety of everyone, particularly the children. In another statement that was released on Thursday, the police said it is also making all efforts to trace the missing people and unite them with their families "at the earliest".
However, the police also appealed to people to not "fall prey to the rumours about the spurt" in the cases of missing children. "While denying such claims, we also warn rumour mongers of strict legal action for creating unnecessary panic and fear by misrepresenting data," it posted on X.
The Delhi Police has also noted that its Anti-Human Trafficking Unit is working 24/7 to reunite the missing people. It noted that sometimes children return to their homes on their own but the parents don't inform the police. Because of this, the child remains 'missing' in police record and the number keeps getting higher.
