Delhi gets dubious distinction of highest crimes against women, senior citizens and children

The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data for 2023, released on Monday, shows case registrations went up by 8 per cent in 2022, marking an overall increase of 11 per cent in the past three years.

In March, the Union Home Ministry told the Rajya Sabha that the release of NCRB’s annual data on accidents, suicides, and crimes had been delayed because “data validation for the 2023 report is in its final stages” and would be published shortly.

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The NCRB data shows that 324,257 cases, under the Indian Penal Code (IPC), were registered in 2023, rising from 300,429 in 2022 and 291,904 in 2021. It also records 20,006 cases filed under special acts and local laws in 2023, slightly higher than 19,845 in 2022 and significantly up from 14,485 in 2021.

In 2023, a total of 506 murder cases were registered, resulting in 524 deaths. The year also saw 4,405 burglary cases affecting 4,441 victims and 1,654 robbery cases involving 1,660 victims. Additionally, 204 instances of extortion and blackmail were reported, impacting 207 people. There were also 697 hit-and-run cases, leaving 794 victims.

One of the most concerning issues in 2023 was the high number of missing children in Delhi, with 6,284 cases reported, according to the data.

This brought the total number of children reported missing and still untraced to a staggering 12,324.

Over the year, authorities were able to recover 6,972 children. The data also showed that 24,623 people were reported missing in 2023, while recoveries exceeded this number, totalling 29,140 individuals found.

Among the 19 largest metropolitan cities, Delhi recorded the highest number of crimes against women in 2023, with 13,366 cases, followed by Mumbai with 6,025 cases and Bengaluru with 4,870. Crimes targeting senior citizens were also highest in Delhi with 1,361 cases, followed by Bengaluru and Mumbai with 649 and 518, respectively.

In 2023, Delhi recorded 7,731 cases of crimes against children, followed by Mumbai with 3,110 and Bengaluru with 1,982 cases. The data also indicated that minors were implicated in 2,278 cases in Delhi, compared to 523 in Chennai and 427 in Bengaluru.

Delhi topped in kidnapping and abduction cases as well, recording 5,681 incidents. Mumbai recorded 1,798 such cases while Bengaluru reported 1,158. In cybercrimes, Delhi ranked the 10th while Bengaluru topped the list with 17,631 cases followed by Hyderabad with 4,855 and Mumbai with 4,131.

Delhi ranked fourth in economic offences, registering 4,580 cases. Mumbai led the category with 6,476 cases, followed by Hyderabad with 5,728 and Jaipur with 5,304.

In 2023, 130 cases of crimes committed by foreigners were reported, a decline from 256 in 2022 and 322 in 2021. In 2023, there were 63 crimes against foreigners, an increase from 40 in 2022 and 27 in 2021. Human trafficking cases numbered 117 in 2023, compared to 206 in 2022 and 92 in 2011.