Delhi Police on Friday dismissed widespread claims of a surge in missing girls and women in the national capital, saying the panic was fuelled by paid online promotions and misleading narratives aimed at monetary gain.
The police warned that strict action would be taken against individuals or groups found spreading fear through fabricated or exaggerated claims.
Public concern erupted earlier this week after figures circulated on social media suggested that 807 people had gone missing in Delhi during the first 15 days of January, averaging more than 50 cases a day. Several posts claimed that most of the missing were women and children, triggering alarm and political sparring.
The Delhi Police had clarified that the number do not indicate an alarming trend but are, in fact, lower than figures recorded in previous years.
In an official statement posted on X on Friday, Delhi Police said it had traced the origin of the viral 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. Creating panic for monetary gains won’t be tolerated, and we’ll take strict action against such individuals,” the police said.
Investigators also found that several influencers had promoted the claims through sponsored content, while online theories further fuelled public anxiety.
According to Delhi Police data, a total of 1,777 missing persons cases were reported in January 2026, which is lower than the monthly average for previous years. In comparison, 24,893 missing cases were recorded in 2024 and 24,508 in 2025, an average of over 2,000 cases per month. Police said the January figure was “proportionately lower” and did not indicate any emerging or abnormal trend.
Joint Commissioner of Police (Public Relations) Sanjay Tyagi termed the viral reports “rumours” and said the pattern of missing persons cases remained consistent with previous years. He added that January 2026 had, in fact, seen a decline in reported cases compared to earlier periods.
Police officials reiterated that there was no spike in the number of cases and urged the public to rely on verifed information. They also appealed to citizens to avoid sharing unverified information regarding safety of missing people.
The police had also clarified that no organised gang or criminal network has been found involved in cases of missing or abducted children in Delhi so far and appealed to public to stay calm.
BJP IT cell head, Amit Malviya, said, "The claim that 'so many children have gone missing from Delhi' is being spread through a paid campaign to promote a Hindi film. The Delhi Police will obviously follow this up to its logical conclusion"
Senior police officials reiterated that there was evidence to suggest the figures were being selectively projected and amplified as a part of promotional campaign, including publicity around a film on missing children.
Many social media users linked the "Hindi film" reference to the recently released Rani Mukherjee-starrer Mardaani 3 - a movie portraying cases of missing girls in Delhi.