In the last three years (from 2023 to November 15, 2025), 9,639 children have gone missing across Karnataka and 1,094 of them remain untraced.
Bengaluru city accounted for nearly a third of these cases, followed by Bengaluru Rural and Tumakuru districts. In terms of gender, a whopping 6,894 cases were those of girls, with 825 cases pending. Home Minister G. Parameshwara revealed these figures in his reply to a question from Member of Legislative Council Umashree during the recently-concluded winter session of the Legislature in Belagavi.
In 2023, 3,039 missing cases were reported, and 77 cases remain unresolved. Of te 3,411 missing children reported in 2024, 145 are as yet untraced. Till November 15, 2025, 3,189 missing cases were reported, and 872 of them are as yet not cracked.
In Bengaluru, 3,268 missing cases were reported and 426 of them are pending. In Bengaluru Rural district, 694 children were reported missing, and 55 remain untraced. Tumkur district ranked third, with 450 cases reported in the last three years. Out of these, 33 are unresolved.
The Supreme Court on December 9, 2025, had directed the Union government to furnish six years of nationwide data on missing children and to appoint a dedicated officer in the Union Home Ministry to ensure effective coordination with States and Union Territories in compiling such information. The court was hearing a public interest litigation petition which highlighted the rising number of children who remain untraced across several States.
Reflecting on the high numbers, Chairperson of the Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (KSCPCR) Shashidhar S. Kosambe said that he had written to the Director-General & Inspector-General of Police (DG&IGP) asking for a detailed report on the number of cases of missing children in the State, the reason, and the details of the children who have been traced.
Speaking to The Hindu, Thippeswamy K.T., Member of KSCPCR, said that the commission had noticed that many of these cases involved children from Class 8 to II PUC. He said there were also many cases of young girls and boys falling in love and then going missing.
“A committee has been formed in each district headed by the Superintendent of Police to take steps to find the missing children,” he said. “An Open House Programme (OHP) is held every Thursday in the jurisdiction of each police station for children. At that time, students from schools and colleges should be sent to the police station to create awareness,” he added, adding that such mechanism should be strengthened.