In a renewed effort to solve one of Tajikistan’s most haunting missing persons cases, the Dushanbe Police Department has announced a 500,000 somoni reward (approximately US$45,000) for credible information about the whereabouts of Sabina and Malika Aralova, two cousins who disappeared in March 2013.

Call for public assistance

The police are urging anyone with knowledge of the girls’ fate to come forward.  According to the Dushanbe Police Directorate press service, the reward will be paid by the directorate itself to any individual who provides verifiable information that helps locate the sisters.

“This is an initiative of the Dushanbe Police leadership,” the department told Asia-Plus. “If the whereabouts of the girls are discovered or credible information is provided, the citizen will be rewarded.”

A family’s long wait

Sabina’s father, Ulughbek, told Asia-Plus that he continues to hold onto hope and expressed gratitude for the initiative. He has kept the same phone number — +992 900011113 — for 12 years, just in case one day a voice on the other end brings news of his daughter.

“We believe someone out there knows something,” he said.  “We hope this reward will encourage them to come forward.”

“Not a day goes by without pain and hope.  Parents of missing children never stop dreaming of their return. We fall asleep and wake up with the same ache we felt on the first day. But we do not give up.”

Ulughbek added that police continue to investigate, occasionally calling the family for updates — though no new leads have emerged.

A mysterious disappearance

Four-year-old Sabina and six-year-old Malika vanished on March 25, 2013, near the bustling Sadbarg shopping center on Ayni Street in Dushanbe.  The case shocked the nation, but despite intensive searches and various investigative leads, no witnesses or evidence have ever been found.

The girls’ disappearance remains one of Tajikistan’s most puzzling and tragic unresolved cases.

How to help

Citizens with information are urged to contact:

• Landline: 2210057
• Mobile: +992 018-02-02-02
• Telegram: @dushanbe_police_tj

Authorities have guaranteed confidentiality and informant protection under Tajik law.

This isn’t the first time the Dushanbe police have used financial incentives to aid investigations. In January 2024, a 100,000 somoni reward was offered for help identifying a suspect in an attack on a taxi driver — the suspect was later found, and the informant was rewarded.