Nine Girls Reported Missing in Ludhiana in 48 Hours, Police Probe Raises Concerns
LUDHIANA: The disappearance of nine girls, including eight minors, from different parts of Ludhiana within a span of 48 hours has triggered concern among residents and prompted an intensified police investigation.
The issue first came to light after reports emerged of four girls going missing in separate incidents across the city, leading to the registration of three FIRs at different police stations. Within a day, five more girls, including four minors, were reported missing, taking the total number of missing girls to nine.
According to police records, the cases appear to be unrelated and have been reported from different localities. Investigators have so far found no evidence suggesting the existence of an organized kidnapping racket, though all possibilities are being examined.
In one of the cases, an 18-year-old girl from Salem Tabri area went missing after leaving home to seek admission to a school. Her family later alleged that a local youth who disappeared on the same day could be involved. Another case involves a 16-year-old domestic worker from Rajguru Nagar who vanished after returning from work. CCTV footage reportedly showed her walking away alone before she lost contact with her family.
A third FIR pertains to a 16-year-old girl and her two minor cousins who went missing from the Jamalpur area. According to the family, the girl later contacted relatives and informed them that she was in Ambala with a youth known to the family, while the two cousins had travelled towards their native village in Uttar Pradesh. Police said contact had been established with the cousins and efforts were underway to bring them back safely.
Police sources said that many of the missing girls belong to migrant worker families residing in various parts of the industrial city. Special teams have been formed to trace the girls, examine mobile phone records and verify leads received from relatives and acquaintances.
The incidents have also generated political reactions, with opposition leaders questioning the law-and-order situation in Punjab and demanding a comprehensive investigation. Social media posts highlighting the disappearance of nine girls in two days have further intensified public concern.
Senior police officials, however, have appealed against speculation and said each case is being investigated separately. They maintain that some of the girls may have left home voluntarily, while others are still being traced. Police have urged the public to share any information that could help locate the missing girls.
The incident has once again brought attention to the issue of missing children and young women in Punjab, with child rights activists calling for stronger monitoring mechanisms, quicker response systems and enhanced safety measures for vulnerable families.
Follow-up: As of Wednesday, police teams were continuing search operations in Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. Authorities said some leads had been developed in individual cases, but no common link among all nine disappearances had yet been established.
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