Between 2019 and 2021, 13.13 lakh (1.313 million) women and girls went missing in India, per the Union Home Ministry, including 10,61,648 women over 18 and 2,51,430 girls under 18.
In 2022, more than 83,000 children were reported missing, a significant increase, many linked to human trafficking and child labor, according to Statista.
Shocking, right?
One such incident shared by a friend changed the course of life for Dhruv Gupta. He, along with his cousin Abhishek Gupta, set out on a journey to find the missing people and reunite them with their families through their platform Khoji Infotech Private Limited.
Early Life and Background
Dhruv Gupta from Jhansi wanted a career that would positively impact society. A family tragedy revealed harsh realities in India when an elderly relative went missing, and despite contacting the police, they couldn’t find him. This experience highlighted a persistent issue with no clear solution.
The Realization
Dhruv noticed advertisements in newspapers about missing relatives and understood the serious issue many families face. Loved ones often go missing, and despite their efforts, families struggle to find them, particularly the elderly, children, and those with mental challenges. Motivated by this tragedy, Dhruv resolved to help after completing his B.Tech, aiming to assist families in quickly locating their missing members.
The Bold Step: Launching Khoji
Dhruv Gupta, 24, and his cousin Abhishek Gupta, 25, founded their startup Khoji in December 2024, after two years of planning, resource allocation, and networking with officials. Abhishek holds both a B.Tech and an MBA, while Dhruv has a degree in B.Tech . Dhruv invested about Rs. 30 Lakhs from his father’s funds.
Dhruv’s father has been their primary supporter. He inspires them, puts in effort, and provides funding for the venture. However, the founders are open to pre-seed funding, if required.
What Does Khoji Do?
Launched in December 2024, Khoji.in is India’s pioneering patented web-based platform designed as a one-click solution for locating missing persons.
Jhansi-based Khoji.in aspires to create a world where the significant problem of missing cases is effectively addressed.
Khoji.in tackles this critical issue by offering a comprehensive platform that unifies essential stakeholders—police, NGOs, the victim’s family, and social workers—enabling them to collaborate seamlessly.
Using advanced AI technology, Khoji swiftly and accurately identifies and matches missing individuals, significantly diminishing the time and costs typically associated with conventional search methods.
Dhruv aims to do more than just reunite missing individuals; it seeks to restore lost emotional connections. Khoji has 4 granted patents and 6 more pending registration.
Missions Accomplished to Date
In just 1.5 months since its launch, Khoji.in successfully resolved more than 65 cases, reunited individuals who have been missing for months or even years with their families.
Success Achieved and Revenue Generated
The founders, Dhruv and Abhishek, proudly served as the Indian delegation at Slush 2024 in Finland.
- 65+ Cases Solved
- Widespread adoption by police, NGOs, and social workers across India.
- Became an official Government DigiLocker partner for secure and reliable data management.
- It operates under NITI Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission.
In just a month and a half, Khoji has made Rs. 20,000 in revenue. Since this is a fresh niche, Dhruv and Abhishek are working hard together to promote it, team up with the government, and run various campaigns. They’re even making regular trips to the police stations to track down missing cases.
Stably Growing
Khoji has expanded to an 8-member team. In addition to the Gupta brothers, the team comprises 4 employees dedicated to technological support and 2 professionals in marketing. Although Dhruv’s father is not an official team member, he continues to oversee and monitor all activities closely.
How Does Khoji Find Missing Person?
Families of missing individuals will be given a handful of options to search from – face photo, identity, and filter.
- Quick Identification with photo (face clear): Khoji.in uses face photos to quickly identify missing persons and contact families, using a powerful AI algorithm to match even changed faces. With its powerful face recognition algorithm, families, NGOs, police, and social workers can locate missing persons without needing any verbal details.
- Search by Identity Feature: Missing persons can be quickly verified using government-issued IDs, aiding in rapid identification and family contact during emergencies. This feature enables instant results by selecting a specific ID.
- Real-Time Alerts: Registered members get instant alerts when a missing person is found. Khoji’s system offers notifications through multiple channels and includes a secure calling feature for families to connect with searchers, police, and NGOs.
For Police & NGOs
The NGOs and police can ask for help in finding out who some unidentified people are. They’ve started putting up details on Khoji’s platform, so families of missing folks can check the database right from their homes.
Plus, if someone who’s been missing is found and taken care of by the government or any NGO, that info will be shown too. For example, it would say where that person is staying, like which shelter they’re at.
Presently, NGOs and the government are using the platform free of charge, but soon the company will shift to a paid model because the company uses expensive and efficient AI technologies. Moreover, the founders have to incur significant expenses related to travel, outreach to relevant contacts and officials, and gathering essential information.
For Clients
The patented web-based platform offers two flexible subscription plans:
- 3-month at Rs. 599
- 1-year between Rs 1,000 and 1,200
Users can choose their preferred plan after submitting the details of the missing person.
An Indian citizen has the option to set up a profile on Khoji in advance as a precautionary measure, particularly if you have an elderly or mentally challenged individual at home.
For such families, Khoji offers the following packages:
- 1 year at Rs. 400
- 3 years at Rs. 699
What’s Next: Finding Missing Vehicles with Khoji.in
In the future, Dhruv wants Khoji to team up with the police to help catch criminals and solve murder cases using fingerprint identification, manage traffic, and more.
Dhruv is also gearing up to roll out a feature that will help track down missing vehicles across the country.
Khoji.in is launching an online service where you can check if a vehicle is stolen or has any issues flagged before you decide to buy it. Pretty handy, right?
This will also make buying and selling second-hand vehicles safer and helps the police keep better tabs on stolen cars.
Future Plans
Khoji is starting to get a lot of attention. More and more people are checking it out. But Dhruv feels like they could really use some more help from the government. They even added a feature on their site to help find missing people during the Mahakumbh in 2025.
