DEHRADUN: Signalling a concerning surveillance lapse, dozens of habitual offenders are disappearing from police oversight in the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand.
Despite recent efforts to tighten the net around criminals, data reveals that over 10 percent of registered history-sheeters in the region are currently untraceable, raising serious questions about law enforcement oversight.
According to internal police records, the drive to crack down on habitual offenders saw the opening of numerous new history sheets across the six districts of the Kumaon division.
While the goal was to preemptively curb crime ahead of December 2025, the monitoring mechanism has proven inadequate. Out of the total registered history-sheeters, 84 individuals—roughly 10.72 percent—have vanished from the radar.
Though their names and criminal records remain on the books, their current whereabouts are entirely unknown to local police. Udham Singh Nagar remains the district with the highest concentration of registered history-sheeters at 482, followed by Nainital (156), Pithoragarh (56), Champawat (41), and Almora and Bageshwar (24 each).
The missing figures are particularly alarming in Udham Singh Nagar, which accounts for 39 of the untraceable individuals. Nainital follows with 29 missing history-sheeters, while Almora and Champawat have four each, Pithoragarh has five, and Bageshwar reports three.
Conversely, the data indicates that 75 history-sheeters are currently behind bars. Udham Singh Nagar leads this count with 40 incarcerated, followed by Champawat (13), Nainital (11), Pithoragarh (6), Almora (4), and Bageshwar (1).
Addressing the security breach, Inspector General (IG) of Kumaon Range, Ridhim Aggarwal, emphasised the need for immediate corrective action. "Strict directives have been issued to all district police heads to ensure rigorous surveillance of history-sheeters," IG Aggarwal stated.
"Local police stations have been tasked with keeping a constant watch on offenders within their jurisdictions. Furthermore, officers must visit the residences of those currently missing, verify their locations with family members, and update our records immediately. Crime prevention is our primary objective, and there will be no compromise on this front."
The department is now under pressure to trace these individuals before they can potentially re-engage in criminal activities, underscoring the critical need for more robust intelligence gathering in the region.