Published: 12:45 AM, 04 September 2026
Police give 7-month tally of missing children
More than 2,000 children reported missing in Bangladesh in the first seven months of this year have yet to be found, according to Police Headquarters.
In a statement on Thursday, it said media reports had focused on missing children without providing information on those who were later found or returned, prompting it to clarify the figures. From January to July, 474 general diaries (GDs) were filed over children aged up to nine going missing. Police recovered 406 of them, leaving 68 still missing.
Among children aged 10 to 17, 15,243 were reported missing during the same period.
Of them, 13,273 were found or returned, while 1,970 remain unaccounted for.
Overall, 15,717 children were reported missing in the first seven months, with 2,038 still missing.
They account for 13 percent of the total.
Police Headquarters also gave several reasons for children going missing.
For those aged up to 9, these include getting lost while visiting unfamiliar places with family members, being unable to provide their family's name or address, and ending up somewhere else while trying to return home alone.
For children aged 10 to 17, police cite running away after feeling hurt or upset, pressure from studies, fleeing out of shame after getting involved in immoral activities, a desire for an independent life, attempts to obtain money or other benefits from family members, family conflict and unrest, and the influence of friends or classmates.
Police Headquarters also provided figures for missing-person GDs involving children for previous years.
There were 17,808 such GDs in 2023, 16,414 in 2024 and 22,550 in 2025, but no figures were given for how many children were found or returned in those years.
