A total of 1,17,369 women and minor girls went missing during 2024 and 2025 in Maharashtra, of whom 86,228 were traced by the police, while 31,141 are still unaccounted for. This information was provided by Chief Minister and Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis in a written reply to a question in the state Assembly on Tuesday.
According to government data, 93,940 women were reported missing during the two-year period, and 67,458 of them were found. During the same time, 23,429 minor girls went missing, out of whom 18,770 were reunited with their families.
More than 98% of minors were found in Mumbai
The recovery rate was significantly higher in major urban centres. In Mumbai city, police traced 4,455 of the 4,515 missing minors, while in Navi Mumbai, 313 boys and 627 girls were found over the past two years.
The Chief Minister further informed the House that under Operation Muskaan, a special drive to trace missing and exploited children, more than 41,000 children were rescued across 13 phases between July 2015 and December 2024.
The 14th phase, which began on January 20 and will continue till February 20, 2026, is currently underway, with 1,401 children rescued so far.
Missing cells in every police station
Fadnavis also said that dedicated Missing Cells, headed by women police officers, have been set up in every police station across the state.
To strengthen women's safety and curb human trafficking, an IPS officer of the rank of Additional Director General of Police (ADG) has been assigned supervisory responsibility, with periodic reviews of cases conducted every two months.
The state government reiterated that tracing missing women and children remains a top priority, and search operations will continue without interruption.
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