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The Police Headquarters has said it has taken note of recent media reports claiming that more than 15,000 children went missing in Bangladesh between January and July this year.
In a statement sent to the media on Thursday (September 3), Police Headquarters said the reports did not include information about the subsequent status of the missing children, including how many had been rescued or returned to their families. As a result, the reports did not present a complete picture of the situation.
This could create confusion among the public, the statement said.
To provide greater clarity and dispel confusion over missing children, Police Headquarters verified the information through the relevant police stations at the local level.
According to the verification, 474 general diaries (GDs) were filed regarding missing children aged between zero and nine from January to July 2026. Of them, 406 children were rescued, while 68 remained untraced.
During the same period, 15,243 children aged between 10 and 17 were reported missing. Of them, 13,273 were rescued, while 1,970 remained untraced.
Thus, of the total 15,717 missing children during the period, 2,038 had not been rescued, accounting for around 13% of the total.
The police said children aged up to nine generally go missing after getting lost while visiting unfamiliar places with family members, being unable to provide their names or addresses, or ending up in a different place while trying to return home alone.
Children aged 10 to 17, meanwhile, often go missing after leaving home out of resentment, due to academic pressure, fear of embarrassment after becoming involved in immoral activities, a desire for an independent lifestyle, attempts to obtain money or other benefits from family members, family disputes and unrest, or influence from friends and classmates.
The statement also noted that the online GD service has recently been introduced as part of efforts to make police services more accessible.
As a result, the number of GDs has increased significantly.
According to police data, 17,808 missing-person GDs were filed in 2023, followed by 16,414 in 2024 and 22,550 in 2025.
