The crime was in the numbers - that's what got my attention and that's one of the reasons why I chose to research on child kidnappings when I was approached to write a book. The number of child victims have continued to grow substantially and as of 2016 [the last available figures], the figure stood at 54,328, with the highest number of cases reported in Uttar Pradesh. This was a significant increase from 28,167 in 2013 and 38,555 in the following year.

The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) cites nearly 10 motives for children being kidnapped, with marriage said to be the most common reason. But, for this book, I chose to look at cases where ransom and revenge were the primary motives. While this is a small number [in 2016, of the total number of cases, 168 children were kidnapped for ransom while 250 were for revenge], the possibility of rescuing the child alive in these scenarios is lesser.