Female minors accounted for the majority of kidnapping and abduction victims reported in Jammu and Kashmir in 2024, even as the Union Territory recorded a sharp decline in the number of such cases, according to the latest data released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).
The NCRB data show that 530 kidnapping and abduction cases were registered in J&K in 2024, down significantly from 1,004 in 2023 and 1,046 in 2022.
A total of 541 victims were reported in these cases, including both adults and minors. Of these, 424 were children, comprising 341 girls and 83 boys. The remaining 117 victims were adults, including 110 women and seven men.
Among minors, the highest number of victims fell in the 16–18 age group, with 212 cases, including 185 girls and 27 boys.
In the 12–16 age group, 196 children were reported kidnapped, including 152 girls and 44 boys.
Younger children were comparatively less affected. No cases were reported in the below-six age category, while 16 children were kidnapped in the 6–12 age group.
Among adults, 81 victims were in the 18–30 age group, including 74 women and seven men. Another 35 victims were aged 60 and above.
According to the NCRB, the kidnapping and abduction rate in J&K stood at 3.9 per cent, while the charge-sheeting rate was 25.4 per cent.
The data also show that J&K Police recovered 676 kidnapping victims alive in 2024, including victims from previous years. These included 586 females and 90 males.
The overall recovery rate stood at 58.7 per cent.
