SHAH ALAM: The Selangor Police have logged 602 cases of missing persons from 2018 until June this year involving individuals aged 18-years-old and above.
Selangor Deputy Chief of Police, Datuk S Sasikala Devi said statistics showed that 535 cases or 88.87 per cent had been successfully resolved leaving 67 missing persons yet to be found.
"The category of missing persons involves two levels of missing persons, those under the age of 18-years-old (minors) are investigated by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). The second category of those over 18 (adults) are investigated by the Management Department.
"Between 2018 until June this year, we opened 602 investigation papers (on missing persons).
"Out of this number, 535 have been completed (found safe, returned home or found at a friend's house).
"Only 67 cases are still being investigated and (they) have not been found until now.
"Statistics show a breakdown of 164 cases (2018), 138 cases (2019), 112 cases (2020), 114 cases (2021) and 74 cases between January and June this year.
"The total (missing persons) involved comprised 363 male victims and 239 female victims aged between 18 and 80," she said in a special interview with the NSTP, yesterday.
Sasikala said each month police officers will review all investigation papers involving missing persons that had been opened for review, to check whether the missing persons have been found or not.
She informed that the Administrative Division of the Selangor Police Contingent Headquarters (IPK) led by the Administrative Staff Officer will monitor all investigation papers involving missing persons, both below and above 18, opened by the district police headquarters.
"Each month, all district police headquarters are required to review investigation papers and the minutes of their meeting will be sent to the Selangor IPK Administration and the report will also be sent to the Bukit Aman Management," she said.
"When a victim is found, the investigating officer will take the information involving the disappearance of the victim and record it."
Based on analysis, she said some of these cases usually occur due to disagreements or problems within the family. Some had also taken loans, some choose to isolate themselves, while there were also those who suffered from depression.
Sasikala advised members of the public, especially family and friends, to keep in touch with each other, such as utilising social media platforms when they were far apart.
"I'll use the Covid-19 pandemic as an example. We can't move out of the district to see family, relatives and friends. So social media played an important role that allowed us to connect with each other.
"In fact, we can make video calls, which means not only were we able to hear their voice, but we could also see the condition of the individual we were contacting, whether they were healthy and where they were."
Sasikala said that members of the public can help police spread information regarding cases of missing persons or loved ones who could not be contacted for a long period via social media platforms as well.