New Delhi: From January 1 to July 23 this year, over 7,880 people have gone missing in the national capital, with no trace of their whereabouts found so far, according to data from the Zonal Integrated Police Network (ZIPNET). Among those untraced are 4,753 women and 3,133 men, highlighting a concerning trend in Delhi’s safety and law enforcement capabilities.
ZIPNET, a centralized database used by law enforcement agencies to track missing persons and unidentified bodies, revealed that Delhi’s Outer North district has recorded the highest number of missing cases in 2025 so far. The district, which includes areas like Bawana, Swaroop Nagar, and Samaypur Badli, reported 908 missing persons cases — the highest among all districts in the city.
In contrast, the New Delhi district recorded the lowest number of missing persons, with just 85 cases. This district includes high-security zones such as Tilak Marg, Chanakyapuri, and Parliament Street.
The data paints a grim picture, especially in terms of geographic concentration. The North East district ranks second in the number of missing cases, with 730 reported incidents. Following this are South West district with 717 cases, South East with 689, and Outer district with 675 cases. Dwarka recorded 644 cases, North West had 636, East district documented 577, and Rohini registered 452 missing persons during the same period.
The situation is slightly better in other parts of the city, though still concerning. Central Delhi saw 363 people go missing, while North, South, and Shahdara districts recorded 348, 215, and 201 missing cases, respectively.
In addition to the missing persons, the report also highlighted the discovery of 1,486 unidentified dead bodies in Delhi from January 1 to July 23. The majority of these bodies belonged to men. The highest number of such unidentified bodies — 352 — were found in the North district, particularly in areas like Kotwali, Sabzi Mandi, and Civil Lines.
Other districts also reported a significant number of unidentified bodies. Central Delhi found 113 unidentified bodies, North West recorded 93, South East had 83, and both South West and North East districts reported 73 each. In the Outer district, 65 bodies remained unidentified, while East and New Delhi districts each reported 55. West and Outer North districts followed with 54 each, Rohini with 44, Shahdara with 42, Dwarka with 35, South with 26, and the Railway district found 23 unidentified bodies.
The ZIPNET database, developed for seamless information exchange across multiple states and union territories, plays a crucial role in helping law enforcement agencies coordinate efforts in locating missing individuals and identifying deceased persons. Despite these efforts, the growing number of missing persons and unidentified bodies poses serious questions about public safety, especially in densely populated and under-resourced areas of the capital.
Authorities continue to work on strengthening surveillance and community policing, but the rising numbers highlight the urgent need for more robust investigative mechanisms and public awareness campaigns. Social organizations and citizens’ participation may also be key to improving tracing outcomes and reducing such cases in the future.
The data underlines the need for more proactive strategies and inter-agency collaboration to address this issue more effectively. With women making up the majority of missing persons, safety concerns for vulnerable populations remain a significant challenge for Delhi’s law enforcement agencies.
