NEW DELHI: The nationwide lockdown clamped to lessen the coronavirus threat has turned out to be harbinger of good tidings for Delhi Police as the number of criminal offences in the second half of March came down by almost half as compared to the same period last year.
A total of 1,990 criminal offences such as molestations, abductions, robberies, snatchings, motor vehicle thefts, among others, took place between March 15 and 31, as per the data shared by police. The figure was 3,416 during the corresponding period in 2019.
Cases of molestation of women have halved, with 72 complaints registered between March 15 and 31, down from 144 last year. Under various districts, a total of 150 kidnapping and nine abduction cases were reported whereas 259 kidnapping and 25 abduction cases were registered during the period last year.
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“Overall, criminal offences have significantly reduced by 50 per cent. However, half of the incidents took place between March 15 and 22, days before the nationwide lockdown. The road accidents have drastically reduced as heavy police deployment on roads kept anti-social elements at bay,” a police official said on condition of anonymity.
Interestingly, despite the 21-day lockdown which began from March 25, 66 cases of house thefts were registered across the city. The figure was 121 during the same the period last year.
This March, 181 snatchings were reported while 294 incidents took place during the corresponding period last year.
The highest number of cases registered pertained to motor vehicle thefts. A total 1,243 cases of vehicle thefts were registered as compared to 1,982 cases in 2019. According to a senior official, most vehicles were cars and two-wheelers.
The number of fatal accident during this period also came down drastically from 48 to 19. Also, 112 non-fatal accidents took place this year while the number was 216 in 2019.
The police registered 53 robbery and three extortion cases between March 15 and 31. There were 109 and 13 cases, respectively, last year.
A total of 55 burglary cases were also registered in 2020, down more than half from 126 last year. No ransom cases were registered in the past 15 days.
