Recent Data Shows 1,569 Kids Went Missing In Uttarakhand In Past 3 Years; Over 1,000 Were Girls

In recently released data, it was revealed that 1,569 children, including 1,034 girls, went missing in the last three years in Uttarakhand. Out of these kids, the police has till now successfully recovered 1,454, with 115 still said to be missing.

The data comprises figures for 2020, 2021 and extends up to October 31, 2022. The majority of these cases were reported from Udham Singh Nagar district (457), of which 420 were found; followed by Haridwar district (392), of which 344 were found; and Nainital district (272), of which 266 were found. 

Further, the data charted down the yearly figures. In 2020, 128 boys and 270 girls went missing, of which 119 and 266 were found, respectively. Similarly, in 2021, 227 boys and 404 girls went missing, of which police were able to trace 209 boys and 383 girls.

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Stats from current year

This year, till October 31, 180 boys and 360 girls went missing. Police recovered 153 boys and 324 girls till now. V Murugesan, the ADGP, law & order, of Uttarakhand police, told TOI that police have recovered 1,454 out of the 1,569 children reported missing. He added that continuous efforts are on to find the remaining 115.

Abduction of 8-month-old in Haridwar

The state police headquarters shared the data in the backdrop of the abduction of an eight-month-old boy from his home in Haridwar's Jawalapur area on Saturday morning (December 10). 

Uttarakhand | We received info about a missing 8-month-old boy in Jwalapur,Haridwar dist. Teams were formed & probe was conducted;child was found. People behind incident involved in child trafficking &are being questioned. Six people arrested:KS Nagniyal, DIG,Garhwal Range(11.12) pic.twitter.com/N2d0tLuXUH

— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) December 12, 2022

On Sunday afternoon (December 11), the police recovered the infant and arrested five women, including Anganwadi and Asha workers, in connection with the case. According to cops, the boy, Shashank, was sleeping when a man came to his home on the pretext of begging and stole him when no one was around. The child's mother had said that after giving the beggar alms, she went on the roof to dry clothes. Upon returning, she couldn't find the child and raised the alarm.

“In desperate need for a child, Sanjay Sharma and his wife Parul, residents of Shaympur Kangri, approached Ruby, 32, who works as an Asha worker in Lodhamandi area and Asha, 40, an Aangnwadi worker in Kadach Jwalapur area. The two accused then plotted the kidnapping in connivance with three accomplices, including the victim's neighbour who abducted the baby from his home when her mother was drying clothes on the terrace. The girl was sold to Sanjay for Rs. 2.50 lakh on the same day,” said SSP Haridwar Ajay Singh told TOI.

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