<p>A large proportion of global missing female births are ascribed to India and it is generally argued that aborting female fetus is more common in North India. We sought to map the sex ratio (male to female) at birth in the districts of Kerala, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu to disprove that the southern part of India is different and provide actionable input to local administration. We used data from the Civil Registration System of India which provides data on the number of births by sex from 2019 when level of registration had crossed 90 per cent for India. Sex ratio at birth (male to female) for all the districts are mapped, and those reporting sex ratio greater than 1.07 are highlighted. Our study finds that missing female births continues to be a blot on India and it is prevalent both in North and South India. While Kerala is known for gender equality, major parts of both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu report female feticide which the Civil Registration System can clearly pinpoint. We further exploit the COVID 19 pandemic as a natural experiment, hypothesizing that lockdown restrictions may have limited access to sex-detection and abortion services, thus affecting SRB patterns. Paired t-test analyses—particularly for Karnataka—suggest measurable shifts in natal inequality during this period. Our findings underscore the value of CRS data in identifying local hotspots of prenatal gender bias, offering actionable insights for targeted administrative intervention and stricter monitoring of ultrasound clinics, hospitals and healthcare providers.</p>