LUCKNOW, June 17 -- When two minor sisters vanished from their grandmother's home in Mohanlalganj last month, their family feared they had become just another tragic statistic. However, their rescue by police blew the lid off an interstate marriage-trafficking network, exposing a bitter reality behind rising missing-person reports in the city. Police uncovered what they described as a network that allegedly preyed on vulnerable girls, circulated their images on WhatsApp and negotiated marriage deals in Rajasthan. The girls, aged 16 and 12, were eventually rescued. But the case offered investigators a glimpse into a bitter reality hidden behind many missing-person reports. Likewise, in another case cracked by Lucknow Police last year, a 16-year-old girl who had left home to attend a religious discourse allegedly fell into the hands of traffickers who planned to sell her under the guise of marriage. Days ago, Gudamba police rescued a 17-year-old girl from Bihar after she allegedly left with a man who later told investigators they intended to marry. This week, Gomti Nagar police rescued another minor girl and arrested a 24-year-old man, later invoking provisions of the Pocso Act during the investigation. Viewed separately, they appear to be unrelated crimes. Viewed together, they reveal recurring patterns emerging from investigations into missing minor girls in Lucknow - organised trafficking networks allegedly selling girls into marriages across states and men luring minors away with promises of love and marriage. The Allahabad high court Lucknow bench recently expressed concern over the rising number of missing girls in Lucknow. During proceedings, the court was informed by Lucknow Police that 261 minor girls had been reported missing, abducted or enticed away in the first six months of 2026. While 227 were recovered, 34 remain untraced. The court questioned the quality of investigations and sought a detailed progress report on efforts to trace the remaining girls by the next hearing on July 2. For cops, Mohanlalganj case remains one of the clearest examples of how alleged marriage-trafficking networks operate. According to police, the accused specifically sought out girls who were orphaned, economically vulnerable or lacked strong family support. The two sisters were allegedly persuaded to leave home after being promised a reunion with their mother, who had been away for years. Once they agreed, investigators claim, they were taken to neighbouring districts, dressed in new clothes and photographed. Those images were then allegedly shared through WhatsApp with contacts in Rajasthan, where prospective grooms and brokers examined them before negotiations began. Police alleged that brokers could earn between Rs.1 lakh and Rs.2 lakh by arranging such marriages. The investigation eventually led to arrests in UP and Rajasthan, including alleged intermediaries accused of facilitating marriages in exchange for money. In another case previously cracked by Lucknow Police, a 16-year-old girl who had left home intending to attend a religious discourse in Mathura allegedly fell into the hands of traffickers. Investigators claimed she was transported across states before being handed over to individuals linked to a marriage-trafficking network. During questioning, investigators claimed, the accused admitted involvement in trafficking multiple girls over the years. DCP (east) Deeksha Sharma said in the missing girls case, majority are related to minor girls eloping. Police teams are working to find the missing girls, many of whom have already been recovered. Just days after the high court sought answers from police over the fate of missing girls in Lucknow, multiple police stations under Lucknow commissioner recovered missing minor girls and arrested the men luring them on the promise of marriage. The recent case being of Tuesday where Gomti Nagar police rescued an abducted minor girl, arrested a 24-year-old accused from Shaheed Path area. She had not returned home after leaving home for a morning walk on June 13. On Monday, Gudamba police arrested a youth from Barabanki and rescued a 17-year-old girl from Bihar. The teenager had been reported missing by her family in May. During questioning, the accused allegedly told investigators that he was in a relationship with the girl and that the two had left together with the intention of getting married....