Your Child Hasn't Come Home.
Here's What to Do.
A step-by-step checklist for Indian parents — from the first 30 minutes of worry to filing an FIR and using every tool available to find your child safely.
Last updated: June 2026 · 8 min read
If you believe your child is in immediate danger
Call 112 (National Emergency) immediately. Do not wait. Every minute matters in genuine emergency situations.
Minutes 0–30: Check Before Panicking
Most cases of a child being "late" have simple explanations. Work through this quickly before escalating:
Call your child directly
Call their phone first. If it rings and goes to voicemail, call again — they may be in class, a shop, or a noisy area.
Check their last seen location
If Raksha is installed, open it — you'll see their last known location and exactly when it was last updated.
Call classmates or friends
Contact 2–3 of their close friends or classmates. Children often stay back with friends without telling parents.
Call the school or coaching centre
Call the front desk — many schools hold children back for events, practices, or parent-teacher discussions.
Check with neighbours
If your child walks home through a familiar route, neighbours along the way may have seen them.
Ring the device remotely
If Raksha is installed and the phone is on silent, use the remote ring feature — it rings at full volume regardless of silent mode.
Minutes 30–60: Expand the Search
If calls and checks haven't found them, widen your search systematically:
Check their usual hangout spots
The nearby park, chai stall, friend's house, mall, or game parlour — places they visit regularly without always informing you.
Contact the school bus driver or auto-rickshaw driver
If your child uses regular transport, the driver may know where they got off or if they boarded at all.
Alert all family members
Inform grandparents, uncles, aunts — they may have heard from your child or can help search from different areas.
Check WhatsApp and social media last seen
Last seen on WhatsApp gives you a recent time marker. If it's recent, your child has their phone and is likely fine but unresponsive.
Ask Raksha to flash the torch remotely
In a dark or crowded area, the remote flashlight feature makes the phone visible from a distance — useful if you're searching nearby.
After 60 Minutes: Contact Police
In India, there is no mandatory waiting period to file a missing child report. You can — and should — go to the police immediately if you are genuinely concerned. The old advice about "waiting 24 hours" is a myth and does not apply to children.
Call 112 (National Emergency)
Describe your child — age, what they were wearing, where they were last seen, and when. Keep this call short and factual.
Visit the nearest police station in person
Bring a recent photo of your child, their school ID, and your own ID. Ask to file a missing person complaint — they must register it under Section 154 CrPC (FIR).
Contact Childline: 1098
India's free 24/7 helpline for children in distress. They coordinate with police and NGOs and are especially effective in urban areas.
Track on Khoya Paya portal
Register on khoyapaya.gov.in — India's government portal for missing children. Police update it when FIRs are filed, and it is shared with railway police and shelters.
What Information to Have Ready for Police
How Raksha Helps in This Situation
If your child has Raksha installed, you have more options than most parents:
Live location
See exactly where your child is on the map in real time, right from the Raksha dashboard on your phone.
Location history
See everywhere they went today — when they left school, which route they took, and where they stopped.
Remote ring
Force the phone to ring at maximum volume even if it's on silent — helps if they're nearby and not answering.
Remote flash
Activate the torch remotely to make the phone visible in a crowd or dark area.
SOS from the child
If your child is in trouble and presses SOS, you get an instant alert with their live location.
What NOT to Do
Wait before calling police
There is no 24-hour rule. Every hour matters — call early.
Post on social media before filing FIR
Public posts can alert bad actors and complicate police investigations. File the FIR first.
Leave home without telling anyone
Search parties need coordination. Stay reachable and designate someone to hold the phone at home.
Assume 'they'll come back'
In urban India, missing children cases that aren't reported quickly become much harder to resolve.
Pay anyone without police involvement
Never pay ransom or 'fees' without involving police. It rarely resolves the situation and risks your safety.
Before It Happens: Set Up These Today
These take 10 minutes now and can save hours of panic later:
Install Raksha on your child's phone
Add yourself as a guardian in My Circle. They can press SOS instantly and you can track their location in real time.
Save the school number in your phone
Not just the main number — also the class teacher's number and the school bus driver if applicable.
Save 112, 1098 (Childline), and local police station number
Don't search for these in an emergency. Have them ready.
Know your child's IMEI number
Find it by dialling *#06# on their phone. Write it down and store it separately. Police need it for tracing.
Take a clear photo every few months
Police and posters need a recent photo. Keep one on your phone that's less than 3 months old.
Important Numbers
112
National Emergency
1098
Childline India
1091
Women's Helpline
100
Police