Patna: Taking cognizance of child theft rumours circulating across several districts, the Police Headquarters (PHQ) on Wednesday issued a statewide alert directing all police officials and field units to verify such claims and act promptly. Citing the rapid spread of false messages on social media, the PHQ urged people not to panic or take the law into their own hands, stressing that most recent alerts were found to be baseless.According to data shared by the PHQ, 14,699 children went missing in Bihar in 2025, of whom 7,772 were safely recovered. Police are making continuous efforts to locate the remaining 6,927 children.Additional Director Deneral (ADG) of weaker sections, Amit Kumar Jain, said, “Police stations have been given strict instructions to immediately investigate any such rumour. If a child remains missing for 24 hours, registering a case will be mandatory. Police officials have also been directed to raise awareness about child theft rumours through the official social media platforms of the districts. They have been asked to deal strictly with rumour-mongers to avoid any untoward incident.”During a media briefing at PHQ on Wednesday, Jain said that five cases of alleged child theft came to light in the last two days — two in Muzaffarpur and one each in Jamui, Purnia and Nalanda districts. All these incidents were found to be hoaxes upon investigation.The ADG said, “News of child theft spreads rapidly. Within a short time, crowds gather at the spot. This increases the risk of incidents like mob lynching. Many times, innocent people also become victims of the mob.”He appealed to the public to immediately inform Dial-112 or the nearest police station in such situations. “Do not take the law into your own hands,” he said.Jain further stated that to combat human trafficking, Bihar Police have established 44 Anti-Human Trafficking Units (AHTUs) in all police and rail districts across the state. Additionally, these units are operational in major airports such as Patna, Gaya and Darbhanga, with plans to set up one at Purnia airport soon. “If a missing child is not recovered even after four months, the case is handed over to the specially trained AHTU team,” he added.The ADG further said Special Juvenile Police Units (SJPUs) have been established in every district, and Child Welfare Police Officers have been appointed in police stations. Bihar’s 1,196 police stations are connected through the nationally operated ‘Mission Vatsalya’, an online portal where data is uploaded using the M-Form (missing form) for missing children and the R-Form (recovery form) for recovered children. The entire process is being conducted under the comprehensive SOPs (standard operating procedures) issued by the Government of India and the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights.The police also launched ‘Operation Naya Savera’ last year, a 15-day campaign aimed at rescuing women, children and girls from trafficking, child labour and exploitation. The operation covered all districts in Bihar, with police teams working together to identify, rescue and rehabilitate victims.In recent operations, Bihar Police rescued several children from trafficking. In one instance, 47 minors were rescued from orchestra groups in Rohtas.
