LUCKNOW, Feb. 21 -- Amid judicial scrutiny, the Uttar Pradesh Police headquarters on Friday issued a detailed press release outlining the action taken and progress achieved under a special statewide campaign focused on tracing missing persons, particularly women and children. As per the official data shared, the total registered missing persons between Jan 1, 2024, and Jan 18, 2026, were 1,08,372, of which 88,022 persons were traced till Feb 18, 2026, making the recovery percentage 81.22%. The press release described the increase in the recovery rate as "highly significant". The press release stated that during a review, it came to light that a significant number of individuals had already returned to their families but their recovery status had not been updated in official records. As a result, the recovery rate reflected in digital databases did not accurately represent the ground situation. Taking immediate note of the issue, director general of police (DGP) Rajeev Krishna ordered a statewide campaign to verify and update all such cases. As part of the drive, special police teams were constituted at district and police station levels. These teams contacted family members directly, conducted field inquiries at probable locations and coordinated with police units in other districts and states. As per the press release, tracing and safely recovering missing individuals has remained a top priority for the state police. On the DGP's direction, a special drive was launched to intensify efforts to locate missing persons and update digital records. On February 5 earlier this month, the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court sought a reply from the additional chief secretary (home) and the UP DGP directing them to appear through video conferencing before it on March 23 while hearing a public interest litigation petition over 'inaction' of the state authorities in the issue of more than 1.08 lakh missing persons in Uttar Pradesh in the past two years. It also sought justification for the authorities' failure to take proper action in the huge number of missing persons cases in the state. The press release said that during the campaign, several individuals were found to have returned home but their families did not inform police about it. In some cases, information about the death of missing persons was obtained. A number of individuals were found to be residing elsewhere voluntarily. All such cases were duly updated in the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS), ensuring that digital records were streamlined and subject to effective monitoring. The UP Police headquarters further said that on February 14, 2026, the DGP issued a detailed circular establishing a structured mechanism to sustain and strengthen recovery efforts. Key measures include immediate and time-bound investigative action on receiving information about missing persons and monthly special drives conducted by the SSPs, the SPs and the police commissioners. The steps also include forming multiple special teams in cases where involvement of organised criminal gangs is suspected, transferring cases to anti-human trafficking cells if evidence of trafficking emerges during investigation and mandatory uploading of details of missing children on the Mission Vatsalya Portal developed by the Union ministry of women and child development. Besides, there is automatic display of information relating to missing persons on the Yaksh app for beat personnel to ensure prompt action and quarterly review by range inspectors general/deputy inspectors general and joint/additional commissioners in commissionerates. Officials said there is also periodic review at the zonal level by the additional director generals of police and the police commissioners. The release said similar campaigns would continue in future to ensure that missing persons are reunited with their families at the earliest and to further strengthen public safety in the state. The high court's direction to the ACS (home) to submit a personal affidavit comes at a time when the state police claim to have substantially improved recovery figures through data reconciliation and intensified field operations, as per the official statement issued on Friday....