The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Thursday raised alarm over the disappearance of more than 800 people in Delhi within a span of just 15 days, warning that crimes as grave as those exposed in the Epstein files or the Nithari case could be unfolding in the national capital. Raising the concern, AAP’s Delhi state president Saurabh Bharadwaj said that revelations from the Epstein files in the United States have intensified fears about the fate of Delhi’s missing children, particularly girls.

The AAP Delhi State Chief pointed out that the Epstein files exposed how minor girls were kept on a private island and subjected to sexual abuse, and questioned what might be happening to the hundreds of girls who have gone missing in Delhi. Noting that most of the missing persons fall under the jurisdiction of the Delhi Police, which functions under Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Saurabh Bharadwaj asked how the Home Minister “manages to sleep at night.”

Addressing a press conference at the AAP headquarters on Thursday, AAP Delhi State President Saurabh Bharadwaj said, “For the past few weeks, there has been global concern over one issue. In the Epstein files linked to a very prominent individual in the United States, the names of many powerful and influential people have surfaced.”

Saurabh Bharadwaj continued, “It is said that this man had purchased a private island, where minor girls from the United States and other places were brought and kept. There, well-known and influential people sexually exploited these underage girls. What happened to those young girls is something that cannot even be imagined.”

Saurabh Bharadwaj said that reports of missing persons in Delhi show that more than 800 people disappeared within just 15 days in January this year, calling it an extremely serious situation. “Among those who have gone missing, the majority are girls, numbering close to 500,” he highlighted.

“Despite all the preparedness claimed by Delhi Police, the police have failed to trace 572 out of the 800 missing persons. From the country’s capital, 572 people have disappeared and the police have been unable to find them,” he said.

The AAP Delhi Unit Chief further said that this is happening at a time when there would hardly be a single lane or neighbourhood in Delhi without CCTV cameras. “High-speed CCTV cameras are installed on every major road and intersection in Delhi,” he added.

“When CCTV cameras are installed at every step across the city, it becomes difficult to believe that there is absolutely no trace of 572 people, that no one knows how they disappeared or where they went,” he said, and added that this raises a serious question: is such a situation even possible, or is the Delhi Police sitting in silent consent as part of a larger conspiracy?

Saurabh Bharadwaj said that when the data was examined further, it was found that out of the 800 missing persons, 191 were minors. “Among them, 169 were adolescents. Of these adolescents, only 31 were boys, while 138 were girls. Between 1 and 15 January, within just 15 days, 138 minor girls went missing in Delhi. Of these, around 70 percent of the girls have still not been traced, and it is not known where they have disappeared,” he pointed out.

The senior AAP leader further said that if the number of missing minor girls stands at around 300 in a single month, it would amount to nearly 3,500 such cases over a year in which the Delhi Police has no information about where these girls have gone.

“One must imagine the condition of those parents whose 12–14-year-old daughter has gone missing and there is no trace of her at all. These are cases with no leads whatsoever, while Delhi Police is able to trace people in only about 30 percent of cases, which is a very serious matter,” he asserted.

Saurabh Bharadwaj went on to ask whether we have forgotten the Nithari case. In Nithari, Noida, skeletons and bones of small children were found in a drain near a house. “An investigation began which revealed that there was a brutal predator who would lure young girls to his house. He would kill them and sexually assault their dead bodies to satisfy his lust,” he pointed out.

He continued, “After this, he would cut their bodies into small pieces and dump them in the drain. In that case too, no one was punished. The owner of the house was acquitted with honour, and as last reported, even the domestic help was acquitted with honour. That case too never reached a clear conclusion, but it is a fact that children’s bones were found in the drain.”

The AAP Delhi State President questioned whether something similar to the Nithari case could also be taking place in Delhi with the silent consent of the Delhi Police. He further asked whether crimes akin to those exposed in the Epstein files were unfolding in the capital with the tacit approval of both the government and the police.

“Why is there no discussion in our society about what will happen to those parents whose young daughters are disappearing in this manner, leaving no trace behind?,” he further questioned.

Saurabh Bharadwaj asked how the Police Commissioner manages to sleep at night. “How does Union Home Minister Amit Shah get any sleep? What does Amit Shah think before going to sleep, when more than 800 people have gone missing within just 15 days under the very Delhi Police that functions under him?” he said.

He stated, “There is no trace of 70 percent of them, and nothing is known about their whereabouts. This is an extremely dangerous situation.”

Referring to the revelations from the United States, Saurabh Bharadwaj said that since an Epstein-like case came to light there, deep concern has grown over what may be happening to children in Delhi.