In 2011, 2,236 women went missing in the state, up from 121 in 2000. Investigations prove that most of the missing cases have a link to cyber crime, mobile phones being the dreaded villain.

Not more than six months ago, Sharanya (name changed), a girl from Vyttila in Kochi, met a man online, who introduced himself as a marine engineer in Mumbai. He gave his name as Rabindra Nath. He did not take much time to entice the girl who was a chartered accountancy student, as their relationship moved from the internet to cell phones.

The couple texted and talked over phone for hours every day, before the guy made his visit to Kochi, two months back. The duo met and roamed around Kochi and visited places like Hill Palace and Fort Kochi.

On the day Rabindra Nath came, Sharanya was active on the phone till 7 pm. But she went unreachable after that, and the last cell tower her phone reported to was in Madurai. The Kochi city police and the cyber police jointly went in search of the girl, but their efforts were in vain as they could not track her cell phone network.

Her father received a call from her phone two days after she went missing. Sharanya herself was at the other end. She assured her father that she had no problems whatsoever and was in New Delhi for an examination. Two hours later, Sharanya committed suicide in a hotel in the capital city. She was found hanging from a ceiling fan.

This news went unreported as the family did not want to disclose the background of their daughter’s death. However, Sharanya was just another girl in the state who fell a victim to the machinations of an anonymous lover. Hundreds of cases are reported to the police, but hundreds go unreported.

The number of missing minor girls in the state in 2000 was 47, according to statistics from the State Crime Records Bureau. In 2011, the number hit an all-time-high as it shot up to 454 – almost ten times the number a dozen years ago. There was a five-fold rise in the number of missing minor boys too. It was 70 in 2000, but 350 in 2011.

However, the shocking statistics was in the number of adult women who went missing. If it was 121 in 2000, not less than 2236 women went missing in 2011. The number has shot up to 18 times in the last 12 years. And the worst part is that 50 per cent of these cases included missing housewives.

It was a drastic rise in the number of missing cases, both in terms of minor girls and adult women. Usually, 80 per cent of these missing people come back. But still, why they abscond, is a matter of concern. The cyber world has a crucial role in this rise. Investigations prove that most of the missing cases have a link to cyber crime, said a top police official in the state cyber police.

The cops cite cell phones as the major villain behind most of the missing cases. Easy accessibility of cell phones was the major change that the state witnessed in the last 12 years.

According to the statistics from the high-tech cell, 90 per cent of the people aged above 16 possess cell phones. Almost 30 per cent of these people have more than one cell phone and 40 per cent have more than one SIM card. “A lot of girls are falling into the traps of anonymous texters and callers.

These guys are capable of trapping any vulnerable girl with seven or eight pampering texts. There are also a lot of housewives who fall into these traps,” says Mr Vinayakumaran Nair, the assistant commissioner of state high tech cell.

The cops believe it would be a tough task to tackle this issue, unless the people themselves are cautious. “The police cannot track a person’s call details unless there is a valid complaint. Nor can we listen to their conversations.

If we monitor the calls made by millions of people in Kerala, it would be a breach of privacy. Usually family problems lead the women to fall prey to anonymous callers. These cases can only be reported once the worst happens,” Mr Nair added.

Private cyber detective Dhanya Menon believes that the advantages of a cell phone are the reasons for it misuse too. “Phones are easily accessible, always reachable and convenient to use. A person can access anybody at any time they wish.

This creates a rapport between two people, and the person on the other side seems trustworthy. But he may be telling the same sweet words to ten other women,” Ms Menon said.

As the number continues to rise, police and private investigators admit that it is impossible to tackle the issue at their level.

As the culprits are tapping the mental vulnerability of their victims, it is the victims themselves who have to keep away from such traps. With technology spreading its wings to all the sectors of day-to- day life, the police could only wish that people use their brains and act sensibly.