Police & notices › Missing person
My child is missing
What usually matters in this situation, and the papers to keep ready before you meet an advocate or free legal aid (call 15100).
Your situation
- Who is missing? A child (under 18)
Where you stand
- In your favour A missing child must be registered as an FIR and treated as possible kidnapping or trafficking.
Do these now
- Report on the Khoya-Paya / TrackChild portal
Child care homes check these lists. Where: trackthemissingchild.gov.in
Papers to gather
- Recent clear photos
Circulated to police, stations and portals. Where: Phone, social media. - Description: height, clothes last worn, marks, languages spoken
Helps police and the public recognise them. - Their mobile number, IMEI if known, and social media accounts
Police can trace phone location. Where: Family; phone box. - Last place and time seen, and who they were with
Guides the search and CCTV checks. Where: Family, friends, school/work. - Names and numbers of friends, relatives and anyone suspected
Police will question them. - ID proof and age proof (birth certificate for a child)
Age decides how the case is treated. Where: Family records. - Copy of the FIR / missing report with number
Needed for every follow-up. Where: Police station.
What the law says
Police must accept a missing person report immediately. For a missing child, the Supreme Court has directed that an FIR be registered and investigated as a possible case of kidnapping or trafficking (Bachpan Bachao Andolan v. Union of India, 2013). Kidnapping and abduction are offences under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. Missing and found children are listed on the Khoya-Paya / TrackChild portals. If you believe an adult is being held against their will, the High Court can be asked for a habeas corpus order.
General information, not legal advice.
Saboot will also ask
- Since when?
- Do you suspect someone took them or they are in danger?
- Have you gone to the police?
Similar situations
- Elderly parent with memory loss is missing
- Adult family member hasn’t returned for days
- Police won’t search for my missing family member
- Teenager ran away with someone
Sources
- Khoya-Paya / TrackChild (missing children)
- Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023
- NALSA — free legal aid
The full guide: A family member is missing — a child, an adult, or an elderly person · All situations