Only 80 of 141 abducted kids traced in 2011

In February 2009, Mukim Khan, a 17-year-old student of Rizvi College in Bandra, was kidnapped by his two friends.

When Khan threatened to file a police complaint when he would be released, they killed him and dumped his body in a nullah at Bandra East.

In February 2009, a six-year-old boy from the MIDC area in Andheri was kidnapped and killed by a neighbour. His body was later found near a lake in Satara.

These are just of two of the cases in which minors were kidnapping and killed as the police failed to rescue them.

The number of abducted children traced by the police has fallen by 17% since 2010.

According to the figures available with the Mumbai police, in 2011, 57% of the kidnapped children were traced. Of the 141 kidnapping cases registered, 80 were detected.

In 2010, 74% such cases were detected — of the 108 kidnapping cases registered, 69 children were traced.

Police officials pointed out that kidnappers often lure children with chocolates and it becomes difficult to trace them when no ransom call is made. Also, often the parents file a kidnapping case, when the child, mostly teenagers, has run away from home.