Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): In the past three years 1.28 lakh girls and women have gone missing from their homes. The police have been able to trace and reunite around 1 lakh missing girls/women with their families, but more than 25000 are still untraceable.

This was stated in a written reply to a question raised by Congress MLA Bala Bachachan about the missing women/ girls from the state and their recoveries. Every year thousands of the girls and women go missing or leave their home over various reasons, the work of police becomes tricky when these women or the girls after being traced deny to return home.

In the last three years 99,333 women went missing, while the police were able to bring home 75,882 of them, but still 23,451 are reported missing. Since 2021, the figure of young and minor girls who went missing stands at 29,445. Police have been able to rescue 27,527 of them, but 1919 are still missing.

According to police, almost four in ten of the ‘missing persons’ who left their homes without informing their family are driven by domestic issues to take the extreme step. The second key reason is the ‘love affair’ that drives the girls/women to leave the safe walls of their home.

A good number of missing persons are leaving their homes as they want to live with their relatives instead of their parents or husband for different reasons. Sexual exploitation at the hands of family members is also one of the reasons making the girls/women leave their home.   

Financial distress at homes is also one of the major reasons for women to leave their home, only a few of the girls are running away for the said reason.