Describing as “alarming” the latest data on missing girls and women in Maharashtra, the State Commission for Women has sought an investigation into the cases.
From January 1 and March 31 this year, 3,594 girls and women in the age group of 16-35 went missing in Maharashtra, with 383 missing from Mumbai alone, the data showed.
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The numbers were uploaded by the Maharashtra Police on its website. It stated that the highest number of missing cases - 383 - were from Mumbai city. Ahmednagar had 183 missing cases, Nagpur Rural and Nashik Rural had 169 each, Pune Rural 156 and Pune City had 148 cases.
‘Alarming numbers’
“The statistics of disappearance of women and girls in the State in the last few months are alarming and the Home Department should form a committee to investigate the same. The department should carry out a search campaign and the report of the action taken should be submitted to the commission every 15 days,” said chairperson of the Maharashtra State Commission for Women, Rupali Chakankar.
She also said, “Women belonging to 82 families in Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad area have gone abroad and there is no contact with them, so the families are worried. A case has been registered against two agents from Sakinaka area of Mumbai who lure women and send them abroad.”
On May 15, Ms. Chakankar, along with members of the commission, Gauri Chhabria and Suprada Phatarpekar, met Special Inspector General of Police of Women and Child Crime Prevention Department, Deepak Pandey; Director General of Law and Order Police, Suhas Warke; Deputy Commissioner of Police Dr. Swamy; the Joint Secretary of Home Department, Rahul Kulkarni; Deputy Secretary of Mahila Aayog, Deepa Thakur; and legal experts in this regard.
