Patna: Bihar has witnessed a sharp rise in missing children cases over the past five years, with the number of cases increasing nearly threefold, prompting the state police to strengthen measures against human trafficking.
Addressing a programme organised on World Day Against Trafficking in Persons at the Police Headquarters on Thursday, Director General of Police (DGP) Vinay Kumar said cases of general kidnapping had risen from around 8,000 in 2020 to more than 24,000 in 2025. The recovery rate for missing children currently stands at around 70%, while the recovery of children and women who fall victim to human trafficking remains comparatively low.
Expressing concern over the trend, the DGP directed the formation of dedicated Anti-Human Trafficking Units (AHTUs) in all women’s police stations across the state. He also announced that special anti-human trafficking cells would be established in every district to strengthen prevention, investigation and rescue efforts.
Dedicated Units in Women’s Police Stations
According to the DGP, each women’s police station will have two specialised units. One unit will exclusively handle human trafficking cases, while the other will investigate crimes against women and children.
Both units will be headed by officers of the Inspector rank. The DGP instructed the Criminal Investigation Department’s (CID) Weak Sections Unit to prepare and submit a detailed proposal for implementing the new structure.
He further said women’s police stations should ideally be headed by Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP)-rank officers, adding that human trafficking is an even greater challenge than cybercrime, with nearly three times as many cases being registered.
The DGP also noted that Bihar is the first state in the country to create the post of DSP (Special Crime) in every district specifically to monitor such offences, with officers already appointed to these positions.
Priority for Missing Persons Cases
Vinay Kumar directed all police officers to treat missing persons cases with the highest priority and sensitivity. He also urged investigating officers to ensure their presence in court during trials, saying that securing convictions in a series of such cases would serve as a strong deterrent against trafficking and related crimes.
Over 1,200 Police Stations Linked to Vatsalya Portal
Additional Director General (Weak Sections) K.S. Anupam said that 1,200 police stations across Bihar have now been linked to the Vatsalya Portal, an online platform used to upload and track information related to missing children.
Uploading complete details of every missing child on the portal has been made mandatory for all police stations. So far, more than 10,000 records of missing children have been uploaded.
He also said that under the Naya Savera 3.0 campaign, 88 human traffickers have been convicted so far. Patna district recorded the highest number of arrests, with 56 traffickers apprehended, while Kishanganj ranked first and Sitamarhi second in the recovery of missing women and minors.
Officials Honoured for Anti-Trafficking Efforts
During the programme, senior police officials and members of the judiciary were honoured for their contribution to combating human trafficking.
Among those recognised were Judge Manvendra Kumar Mishra of Bagaha, SDPO Kumar Dayendra, and Additional Public Prosecutor Jitendra Kumar Bharti, who successfully secured the conviction of two traffickers within 34 days of the trial.
The event was also attended by ADG (CID) Paras Nath.
