BHUBANESWAR: Crime graph shot up in Odisha during 2015, recording a huge jump of 10 per cent. Between 2013 and 2014, the rise in cognisable offences in the State was just about three per cent.
According to the Crime Statistics of the State Police, cognisable offences in Odisha shot past the one lakh mark in 2015 when the total number stood at 1,03,200. In 2014, the number was 93,657 as against 90,184 in the year before.
During the past year, the incidence of rape rose sharply. Against 2,011 cases of rape reported in 2014, last year recorded at least 2,286 cases registering a 14 per cent jump. Almost all major heads of crime saw a simultaneous rise. Apart from rape, incidence of murder, theft, swindling and rioting rose steadily.
The statistics show that at least 20 per cent of the total cognisable offences were either in terms of theft or through motor vehicle accidents. Miscellaneous cases accounted for about 66 per cent.
An analysis of the statistics showed that crime figure rose sharply across Western Odisha districts so much so that in many pockets, it was way above the State average. Bargarh, which had recorded 2,594 cognisable offences in 2014, reported a whopping 4,120 cases, thereby registering a 58 per cent jump. The district saw a rise in murder (42), rape (85), burglary (149), theft (288), swindling (103) as well as rioting (164).
Similarly, Kalahandi district reported a 41 per cent rise in recording cognisable offences with 3,585 cases reported last year. Sambalpur (15 per cent), Balangir (22 per cent) and Sonepur (29 per cent) also saw a steep rise. Only Nuapada recorded a drop in the crime graph - from 1,471 cases to 1,297 in 2015.
Bhubaneswar Urban Police District recorded 7,349 cognisable offences, the highest among 34 police districts. The 26 per cent rise could be attributed to a sharp rise in theft cases (1,788). Cuttack Urban Police District, on the other hand, showed a 4.5 per cent rise in the total cases.
Mayurbhanj district continued to report the highest number of rape cases. In 2015, as many as 168 cases of rape were reported from the northern district, up from 155 in 2014.
Interestingly, eight police districts reported a drop in the overall cognisable offences during the last year. Jagatsinghpur, Khurda, Balasore, Angul, Gajapati, Berhampur, Nabarangpur and Nuapada police districts reported a decline in the total number of criminal offences.