The recently released National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data for the year 2022 has unveiled a rise in cybercrimes, crimes against women, children, and Scheduled Castes/Tribes (SC/ST), raising alarm bells for enhanced security measures and societal awareness.
Cybercrime Sees 24.4% Spike in 2022
A staggering 65,893 cybercrime cases were registered in 2022, marking a substantial 24.4% increase from the previous year. Fraud accounted for 64.8% of these cases.
Crimes Against Women Increase by 4.0%
Crimes against women witnessed a notable uptick in 2022, with a total of 4,45,256 cases registered—a 4.0 per cent increase from the previous year’s count of 4,28,278 cases. According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, the majority of these cases were filed under ‘Cruelty by Husband or His Relatives’ (31.4 per cent), followed by ‘Kidnapping & Abduction of Women’ (19.2 per cent), ‘Assault on Women with Intent to Outrage her Modesty’ (18.7 per cent), and ‘Rape’ (7.1 per cent). The crime rate per lakh women population surged from 64.5 in 2021 to 66.4 in 2022.
Murder Cases Decline, Motives Underline Concerns
While there was a 2.6% decline in murder cases, disputes emerged as the primary motivator in the highest number of cases, followed by personal vendettas and gain. Metropolitan cities mirrored this trend, experiencing a 3.9% increase in murder cases.
“Disputes emerged as the primary motivator in the highest number of murder cases (9,962 cases), followed by ‘Personal vendetta or enmity’ (3,761 cases) and ‘Gain’ (1,884 cases),” the report stated.
Kidnappings Rise, Children Vulnerable
The country experienced a 5.8 per cent surge in overall kidnapping and abduction cases in 2022, reaching a total of 1,07,588 cases. A significant proportion of 76,069 victims were children. Out of the total victims, 1,17,083 were successfully recovered, but 974 were tragically found dead. Crimes affecting the human body constituted 32.5 per cent of total IPC crimes in 2022, with ‘Hurt’ cases comprising the majority at 54.2 per cent, followed by ‘Causing death by negligence’ at 13.7 per cent and ‘Kidnapping & Abduction’ at 9.3 per cent. The reported cases witnessed a 5.3 per cent increase from 11,00,425 in 2021 to 11,58,815 in 2022, with the crime rate rising from 80.5 to 84.0. Offences against public peace declined by 10.0 per cent in 2022, with rioting constituting 66.2 per cent of the total cases, amounting to 37,816 incidents, as highlighted by the data.
Rise in Crimes Against Children, and Elderly
Crimes against children surged with 1,62,449 reported cases in 2022, reflecting an alarming 8.7 per cent increase from the previous year. Kidnapping and abduction constituted a substantial 45.7 per cent of these cases, while the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO), 2012, contributed 39.7 per cent. The crime rate per lakh children population rose from 33.6 in 2021 to 36.6 in 2022, according to the report. Juvenile crimes experienced a 2.0 per cent decline, with 30,555 cases reported in 2022, with the majority falling in the age group of 16 to 18 years. Additionally, crimes against senior citizens witnessed a worrisome 9.3 per cent increase, totalling 28,545 cases. ‘Simple Hurt’ accounted for the highest number of cases at 27.3 per cent, followed by ‘Theft’ at 13.8 per cent, and ‘Forgery, Cheating, and Fraud’ at 11.2 per cent, as highlighted in the report.
Crimes Against Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs)
Crimes against Scheduled Castes (SCs) witnessed a disturbing uptick, surging by 13.1 per cent and reaching a total of 57,582 cases in 2022. ‘Simple Hurt’ accounted for the highest number of cases at 32.0 per cent, closely followed by ‘Criminal Intimidation’ at 9.2 per cent, and cases under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act at 8.2 per cent. Similarly, crimes against Scheduled Tribes (STs) saw a significant increase of 14.3 per cent, with ‘Simple Hurt’ constituting the majority at 28.1 per cent. Rape and assault on women with the intent to outrage her modesty followed at 13.4 per cent and 10.2 per cent
Economic Offences Surge, Explosives-Related Crimes Decrease
Economic offences surged by 11.1%, with forgery, cheating, and fraud accounting for the majority. On the other hand, explosives-related crimes saw a decrease, with 88,987 kgs seized in 2022.
