Children in the West Bengal missing pool in 2024. That is 15.5 percent of India. 15,849 went missing during 2024. 6,893 were already open from earlier years.
15,849 divided by 365. That is the fresh 2024 rate for Bengal. India recorded 98,375 fresh cases in 2024, about 269 a day.
Bengal tracing rate for children in 2024. Police traced 17,169 of 22,742. India traced 67.1 percent. 5,573 children in Bengal stayed untraced at year end.
Trafficking FIRs in Bengal in 2022, with 78 victims. Compare that with 15,849 missing in 2024. Police say trafficking often starts as a missing case and gets that label months later.
Read this line first. Missing does not equal trafficked on paper. A missing file can mean a runaway, an elopement, a family dispute, a kidnap for ransom, or trafficking. The gap between the missing count and the trafficking count is why this guide exists.
01What the official numbers actually say
Only Tier 1 material sits in this section. Tier 1 means NCRB, MHA parliament papers, or open government datasets.
Fresh cases against total pool
| Year | India fresh | Bengal fresh | Bengal total pool | India total pool |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 83,350 | 12,455 | Not listed | Not listed |
| 2023 | 91,296 | 14,667 | Not listed | 1,38,609 |
| 2024 | 98,375, up 7.8 percent | 15,849 | 22,742, rank 1 | 1,47,175, up 6.2 percent |
T1 Fresh means reported during the year. Total pool means fresh plus cases still open from earlier years. Sources: ThePrint 7 May 2026 and CRY NCRB 2024 PDF. 2022 fresh from ETV Bharat on NCRB 2023.
Who goes missing
Girls were 75,603 of 98,375 fresh cases in 2024. In the full pool, girls were 1,11,271 of 1,47,175, or 75.6 percent. Children aged 16 to 18 were 75,453 cases, or 51.3 percent. Bengal held 19,050 missing girls, or 17.1 percent of every missing girl in India.
T1 Source: CRY NCRB 2024 analysis, tables 1 and 2 and state annexure.
The untraced pool at year end 2024
| State | Untraced children | Untraced rate |
|---|---|---|
| Odisha | 9,929 | 73.6 percent |
| Bihar | 6,128 | 46.0 percent |
| West Bengal | 5,573 | 24.5 percent |
| Madhya Pradesh | 4,886 | 25.5 percent |
| India | 48,349 | 32.9 percent |
Bengal traces better than the national average, then still ends with more than 5,500 children untraced because the starting pool is so large. Odisha is the sharpest concern on tracing, with only 26.4 percent traced. Do not mix the two ranks. Bengal is first on total pool. Odisha is first on untraced.
All missing persons, not only children
In 2024 India recorded 5,20,164 missing persons and traced 5,03,602. 4,24,235 stayed untraced in total. For all ages, Maharashtra led with 79,368 fresh cases, then Madhya Pradesh with 65,338, then Bengal with 63,116. So Bengal ranks first for children and third for all persons.
T1 Source: ThePrint quoting NCRB 2024.
Crimes against children, and the trafficking gap
In 2023 India logged 1,77,335 cases of crimes against children, up 9.2 percent. Kidnapping and abduction was the largest head at 79,884 cases, or 45 percent. In 2024 India filed 2,135 trafficking cases, down from 2,183 in 2023 and 2,250 in 2022. Telangana filed 423, Maharashtra 337, Andhra Pradesh 159. Bengal filed 67 trafficking cases with 78 victims in 2022, with a 55 percent conviction rate. 819 Anti Human Trafficking Units work across India. 38 work in Bengal.
T2 The Hindu on NCRB 2023. T3 101Reporters CID interview for Bengal trafficking and AHTU counts.
Kidnapping to force marriage, the one table where Bengal looks low
| State, 2023 | Women over 18 | Girls under 18 |
|---|---|---|
| West Bengal | 125, rate 0.3 | 390, rate 0.8 |
| Bihar | 4,534, rate 7.4 | 4,933, rate 8.1, highest |
| Uttar Pradesh | 6,978, rate 6.2 | 3,649, rate 3.2 |
Read this with care. Bengal looks low here. It does not mean Bengal is safe. It likely means many Bengal cases enter as generic missing or elopement, and only later link to trafficking, forced labor, or prostitution under other heads. Do not use this table to claim Bengal has no problem.
T1 Source: MHA Lok Sabha Q 5108 annexure, 24 Mar 2026, NCRB 2023 tables.
Crimes against women in Bengal, 2023
Bengal logged 34,691 cases, with a caseload of 44,731 including pending cases from 2022. Police recorded 1,110 rapes, 27 involving minors. The offender was known to the victim in most cases. Top heads were cruelty by husband or relatives, kidnapping and abduction, sexual assault, and POCSO. Charge sheet rate was 93.8 percent. Pendency was 23.2 percent.
T3 DevDiscourse synthesis of NCRB 2023. T2 Peer reviewed cluster study 2017 to 2022, DOI link.
02Where it happens
Bengal shares about 2,217 km of porous border with Bangladesh and sits near Nepal and Bhutan. That makes escape easy and tracking hard. The Sundarbans belt is harder still, with islands, rivers, and poor roads.
T2 Indian Express Oct 2023. T3 101Reporters CID interview, MyChoices and Seefar 2022 district study.
Where rescued girls were found
Delhi for domestic work through fake placement agencies. Haryana. Gujarat for sex trade after Sundarbans grooming. Rajasthan, Pali and Alwar, for forced marriage where a Bardhaman girl was sold twice with fake adult papers. Andhra Pradesh. Odisha, Balasore, Tirtol, Khurda Road. Bihar, Motihari.
T2 Rescue reports: NJP to Odisha joint op, Thakurnagar to Khurda tower trace, Bengal ring rescued in Bihar.
03How it works now
The current pattern is not a van grabbing a child off the road. It is a phone call that runs for months.
- 01Scout. Someone local spots a girl who lives with grandparents, has a phone for school, and gets little attention at home.
- 02Random dial. A CID officer said traffickers call about 100 random Bengal numbers to find a victim, then start a smooth chat.
- 03Groom. Calls shift to WhatsApp, then Facebook, then locked Messenger chats. This runs one to six months before any talk of running away.
- 04Secret meetings. Never in her village. After the third or fourth meeting outside, they move her.
- 05Sale. Domestic work in Delhi, sex trade, forced marriage with fake adult papers, dance troupe circuits, or cross border movement.
- 06Hide. Name, look, and habits change. Dens use odd hiding places. A tip means the victim is moved fast. Encrypted chats block the old call record trail.
In 73 villages in one block, workers logged 35 cases with this method from January to September 2023. Phones given for online classes during Covid gave traffickers a direct line into homes. That is why numbers rose after 2020.
T2 Indian Express field work Oct 2023. T3 101Reporters CID interview Feb 2026. Treat single investigation claims, such as 2,000 girls through one Delhi network, as alleged, not proven.
Variants after Covid
Social media, gaming, and Korean pop lures. In Malda, police and an NGO stopped a group that used a fake Korean pop enrolment promise. Dance troupe agents promise jobs, marriage, or schooling, then move children to orchestra groups in other states. Contractor chains move boys over 14 through a trusted local man to construction, jewellery, auto, or apparel work in Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Odisha. Fake placement agencies move girls from Canning, Basanti, and Jibantala to Delhi house work.
T3 Times of India Jul 2026, ETV Bharat on orchestra lure, MyChoices and Seefar 2022.
Claims to avoid. Do not quote 50,000 or 53,000 as Bengal fact. One article mixed the national trafficking total with Bengal. One 2026 piece projected 2025 numbers when no NCRB 2025 report exists. Do not present political patronage or forced conversion claims as fact. The dossier marks them Tier 4, allegation only.
04What to do in the first hours
If a child goes missing, act now
- Call 112 at once. Call Child Helpline 1098. There is no waiting period for children.
- Go to the nearest station and ask for an FIR. The Supreme Court ordered on 22 May 2026 that every missing report must get an FIR with kidnapping sections at once. You can file a Zero FIR at any station.
- Give a recent photo, clothes, phone number, last location, school and friend details. Ask police to enter the case on the TrackTheMissingChild portal and ZIPNET.
- Ask for nearby CCTV, railway and bus stand checks, and tower location if a phone is involved. Keep one family member with police. Keep the phone line open.
- After rescue, ask the Child Welfare Committee about counselling and care. Direct return alone can fail where stigma or repeat risk is high.
T1 Mission Vatsalya SOP for missing children, WCD Child Helpline 1098. T2 The Hindu 23 May 2026 on the Supreme Court order.
Red flags every student should know
- A stranger asks you to move chat to a locked app. Stop and tell a trusted adult.
- A new friend wants secret meetings outside your village. Refuse. Tell a teacher.
- A job, dance troupe, or acting offer needs no papers and pays fast. Check with parents and school first.
- Someone asks for photos, your school routine, or your friends list. Do not share. Save the number and block.
- A caller says running away will fix marriage pressure at home. Call 1098 or a teacher before you trust the caller.
How rescue works today
Call records, tower data, ZIPNET sharing across states, plainclothes watch, decoy checks, joint BSF and district and NGO raids, drones, and short CCTV clips. One Malda case closed in four hours from a 33 second clip. One Odisha case closed from a tower hit at Khurda. Recovery can still retraumatise. Stigma at home, patchy rehab, and repeat trafficking are real. Minors go to the Child Welfare Committee and a home. Adults go to District Social Welfare Officers.
T2 Malda 4 hour CCTV rescue. T3 CID interview on forensics and joint ops.
05How to teach this without fear
Use this page in class, 30 minutes
1. Start with the 43 a day figure. Ask what it means and what it does not mean.
2. Walk the six steps of phone grooming. Ask students to name the exit at each step.
3. End with the red flag list. Each student saves 1098 and one teacher number in her phone.
All three points use Tier 1 and Tier 2 sources above. No case photos needed. Aggregates teach better than shock.
Keep the tone plain. Say what happened, say where the fact came from, say what to do. Skip graphic detail. Skip rumours. If a claim has a Tier 4 badge, say the word alleged out loud and ask for a second source.
06Sources, ranked so you can check
Tier 1 is NCRB, MHA, or open datasets. Tier 2 is major national media and peer reviewed work. Tier 3 is specialist NGO interviews. Tier 4 is allegation. Use Tier 4 only with the word alleged and a second check.
| Claim on this page | Source | Tier |
|---|---|---|
| 98,375 fresh, 1,47,175 pool, Bengal 22,742 | ThePrint 7 May 2026, CRY May 2026 PDF | T1 |
| Girls 75.6 percent, age 16 to 18 is 51.3 percent | CRY tables 1 to 3 | T1 |
| Untraced: Odisha 9,929, Bihar 6,128, Bengal 5,573 | CRY table 8 | T1 |
| Phoney love method since 2016, 35 cases in 73 villages | Indian Express Oct 2023 | T2 |
| 100 random calls, third meeting, encrypted chats | 101Reporters CID interview Feb 2026 | T3 |
| Crimes against children up 9.2 percent in 2023 | The Hindu Sep 2025 | T2 |
| Mandatory FIR order, May 2026 | The Hindu 23 May 2026 | T2 |
| 1098 helpline with 112, missing child SOP | WCD Child Helpline 1098, SOP PDF | T1 |
| District detail, contractor boys, family pressure | MyChoices and Seefar 2022 | T3 |
| NCRB 2024 is latest base, no 2025 report | The Hindu 6 May 2026, Tribune 13 Aug 2026 | T1 |
| Full link archive and scores | 02_master_links.md and 01_ranked_sources.csv in this folder | T1 to T4 |
Corrections from the 8 Sep archive: Bengal tracing is 75.5 percent, above the national 67.1 percent, which matches field claims of 75 to 80 percent recovery. The 75.6 percent girl share refers to the full pool. Fresh 2024 girl share is higher at 76.8 percent. No NCRB 2025 report existed at the last archive check.