Love affairs and family disputes drive majority of missing women cases in Maharshtra, says CM Fadnavis

Crash site at Baramati, where the aircraft went down on January 28. Pic/By Special Arrangement

Actual kidnapping cases form less than 2 per cent of total missing women cases, indicating minimal serious criminal involvement. A review of cases from January 2010 to December 2025 shows that of over 1.37 lakh reported cases, nearly 75 per cent (1.31 lakh) have been traced.

CM Devendra Fadnavis, replying to a debate in the assembly, said, "Most cases are linked to personal and social reasons, kidnapping cases remain a very small percentage", underlining that most incidents stem from social and emotional circumstances rather than serious crime.

Crash row

On the Baramati plane crash, the CM criticised the filing of a zero FIR in Karnataka, calling it illegal. "Karnataka wants to defame Maharashtra and show that the investigation is not on track," he said. He clarified that FIR and ADR both set the law in motion, and if negligence or foul play is found, a chargesheet is filed as an FIR.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis

The CM claimed that late Ajit Pawar's nephew is pursuing the case and the entire Maharashtra government is with him. But, while doing so, one should not send a message that they are only concerned and others are not. Fadnavis also said he will seek time with Union Home Minister Amit Shah after the budget session to arrange a meeting with NCP MLAs regarding the probe.

Debate continues

Opposition members raised concerns over rising missing cases, especially among women and minors, citing 93,940 cases reported across 2024 and 2025. Authorities, however, said intensified efforts such as Operation Muskaan have helped trace many individuals. Fadnavis said mandatory filing of missing complaints, as per court orders, makes numbers appear high. He also urged the media to avoid creating panic while reporting such cases.

Break-up of reasons:

Actual kidnapping: 1.86 percent
Love affairs: 56.86 percent
Family disputes: 21.28 percent
Mental stress: 2.12 percent
Health issues: 0.7 percent
Mental conditions: 0.7 percent
Addiction: 0.5 percent