Himachal Police traces 1 172 missing persons in 9 months records 88.7 recovery rate

Shimla, Nov 11 (PTI) The Himachal Pradesh Police traced 1,172 of the 1,328 persons reported missing across the state between January 1 and September 30, 2026, achieving a tracing rate of 88.7 per cent, in compliance with Supreme Court directions, officials said on Wednesday.

    A total of 893 missing-person cases involving 1,328 individuals were registered during the nine-month period. Those traced included 722 adults and 470 children.

    Around 20 per cent of the missing persons were traced within 24 hours of their disappearance, while 20.9 per cent were located within 24 to 72 hours. The remaining 47.9 per cent were traced after 72 hours, they said.

    In a press statement, Director General of Police Ashok Tewari said the state had strengthened its mechanism for registering, investigating and tracing missing-person cases following the Supreme Court's May 22, 2026, directions in the case of G Ganesh vs State of Tamil Nadu and Others.

    "The court had emphasised that an FIR must be registered immediately upon receiving information about a missing person, without insisting on any mandatory waiting period," he said.

    Tewari said comprehensive instructions were issued to all field units on June 6, directing immediate registration of FIRs, prompt search operations, special attention to cases involving missing children and regular supervisory monitoring.

    He said police had placed greater emphasis on swift search operations, timely dissemination of information, effective use of technology and coordination among police stations, districts and neighbouring states to improve the tracing of missing persons.

    The DGP also urged the public to report missing persons without delay, particularly children, and cautioned against the misconception that a person must remain missing for 24 hours before a police complaint can be lodged.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)