Navi Mumbai reports 499 child kidnappings in 11 months; 41 still missing

“As many as 499 children were reported kidnapped in Maharashtra‘s Navi Mumbai township between January and November 2025 and the police managed to trace 458 of them, while 41 remain missing,” officials said on Wednesday (December 3, 2025).

“Among the 458 recovered children, the reasons for their disappearance indicated more of emotional distress and personal circumstances rather than criminal intent, as 128 of the cases were linked to love affairs and 114 to children running away after being scolded by parents,” they said.

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“Besides, 103 children had gone to relatives, 63 left for trips, and 48 went to a girlfriend’s house. One case each involved mental disability and an accidental death report (ADR),” a police release said. “Among these overall figures, 25 cases pertained to the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act,” it said.

“Between January 1 and November 29 this year, 499 children, including 349 girls, were reported kidnapped in Navi Mumbai. The police traced 458 of them, including 315 girls,” the release said. “The 41 children still missing comprise 34 girls and seven boys,” it said.

The police registered 483 cases of these child kidnappings and solved 442 of them, achieving a detection rate of 91.78% as per the data. “The majority of these cases were registered in the Turbhe area (51), followed by Rabale (49),” the release added.