NEW DELHI: Delhi recorded over 15 per cent rise in crime in 2021 as compared to the previous year, Police Commissioner Rakesh Asthana said on Thursday, noting that the increase in crime rate was due to less number of cases being lodged during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
Citing data, police said 3,06,389 cases were reported in 2021 as compared to 2,66,070 cases the previous year. Nearly 70 per cent of the crimes reported in 2021 were of burglary, robbery and theft, police said. Arrests increased by 17 per cent in 2021 as compared to 2020. In 2021, a total of 1,47,115 arrests were made as compared to 1,25,986 in the previous year, the data said.
Murder cases decreased by 3 per cent from 459 in 2021 to 472 in 2020 in the national capital. The number of attempt to murder cases increased by 35 per cent from 485 in 2020 to 655 last year. There were 17 cases of kidnapping for ransom last year and all of them were solved. In 2020, 11 cases were filed which were all solved. The percentage of extortion cases solved was 87 in 2021 as a total of 170 cases were lodged, compared to 120 cases in the previous year, it said.
The use of firearms has also gone down by nine per cent in murder, attempt to murder and dacoity/robbery cases, the data said. A total of 21 major gangs active in outlying districts of Delhi were identified and in 2021, seven dreaded criminals were neutralised, they said. Delhi witnessed a sharp rise in cases of crime against women in 2021, with a 21.69 per cent surge in rape cases as compared to the previous year, police said.
Moreover, 2,429 molestation cases also saw an increase of 17.51 per cent. Similarly, harassment cases also witnessed an uptick. In the period between April to May during the second wave a sudden spurt in demand for oxygen cylinders and medicines in the capital had lent freehand to cheats and scamsters, police said.
Asthana stressed on prevention of cyber crime and said there is a possibility they may go up. Keeping this factor in mind, 15 cyber police stations were created, he said. Besides, 2,291 persons were arrested, 583 bank accounts were blocked.
