Stats also say 3 out of every 10 missing kids never return as they fall prey to prostitution, organ donation rackets
Three children go missing from Pune on a daily basis, indicate statistics of the past five years, which dna obtained from the Pune police. While police claim that most cases pertain to runaway children or minors who have eloped and are traced later, the police records show that an average of 3 out of 10 missing children have never returned home.
So where are these missing children?
That’s a question that is haunting railway employee Jitendra Ranjan for the past three years as he has run out of theories about the whereabouts of his missing son Ashish Ranjan aka Mollu (12). A special child, Ashish went missing on November 26, 2010. Driven to desperation, Mollu’s father Jitendra even filed a writ petition in the Bombay High Court about police negligence, which resulted into the case getting transferred to CID.
His lawyer Amit Bhowmik alleged that while police were busy in providing security to VIPs, these missing children are falling prey to beggars and prostitution syndicates as well as organ donation rackets.
As per statistics obtained under Right to Information Act from the city police’s social security cell pertaining to missing complaints of minor children, it shows in 2009 total 1097 children went missing of which 300 are untraceable. In 2010, total 1106 children went missing and 371 are untraceable. In 2011, total 1,261 children went missing and 490 children untraceable while in 2012, 1,254 children went missing and 360 children untraceable. So far in 2013, the number of missing children has reached 1,280 of which 713 children untraceable.
Meanwhile cops blame bickering parents and exam fear for most cases.
SW Nikam, inspector in-charge of Social Security Cell said, “Many children go missing are fed up of parents’ fights or they fear about examination marks or had fight with their parents and run away from homes with their other friends. We co-ordinate amongst the area police and if they are not able to work out about the child whereabout we then search in our way.”
Though there is a Government Resolution (GR) stating that for missing children, the police should deploy a special team of officers who will probe the case. But pratically such things do not take place, said a senior police officer.
Had such investigations taken place? Susgaon resident Sachin Dhote (35) might still not be pining for his three year old boy who went missing from his corridor on December 13, 2011.
Dhote who is working in Garden Department in University of Pune recalled, “That day, I was having tea in my room and my son was playing in the corridor and went missing. Initially police helped us, but now they are neglecting the case claiming they have many other important cases.
Everyday after work hours get over, I approach bus stand, railway stations and even approach beggars to get some information about my son. Yet I have no clue. I approached police and even state CID, but they make me run from pillar to post.
Number of girls missing
Year Missing Traced Untraced
registered
2009 557 414 143
2010 631 418 213
2011 738 442 296
2012 736 529 207
Jan to Sept 822 363 459
(2013)
Number of boys missing
Year Missing Traced Untraced
registered
2009 540 383 157
2010 475 317 158
2011 523 329 194
2012 518 365 153
Jan to Sept 459 205 254
(2013)
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