LUCKNOW: The annual report of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) has painted a frightening picture of crime in Uttar Pradesh.
The report, released on Thursday, claims that a case of rape is registered with the state police every two hours while crime against a child is reported every 90 minutes in Uttar Pradesh.
The NCRB report claims that 4,322 cases of rape were reported in 2018, with almost 12 taking place daily.
The state also recorded 59,445 crimes against women with 162 being reported everyday, which indicates a surge of 7 per cent in 2017, when 56,011 crimes - 153 crimes per day - were registered.
In case of children, 144 minor girls were reportedly raped in 2018 against 139 in 2017.
According to the NCRB report, Lucknow topped in 19 cities in crime against women with 2,736 being reported in 2018.
Similarly, 19,936 crimes were reported against children with 55 reported per day in the state.
In 2017, 19,145 such cases were reported with an average of 52 being reported per day.
Uttar Pradesh also recorded the highest number of 2,444 dowry deaths in 2018, but witnessed a decrease of 3 per cent in comparison to 2017 when 2,524 cases were reported.
Crimes against senior citizens also recorded an increase, according to the NCRB report. As many as 454 offences were reported in 2018, which is more than 12 per cent in 2017.
Nearly 131 elderly people were murdered in 2018, compared to 129 killed in 2017. Cases of robbery reported by senior citizens also registered a slight increase with 15 incidents in 2018 and 14 in 2017.
ADG Uttar Pradesh Asim Arun said that a helpline for the senior citizens called 'Savera' had been introduced recently.
"Any senior citizen facing any kind of harassment can contact UP 112 and get help," he said, adding that since October 2019, as many as 1.1 lakh elders in the state have been registered by UP 112.
The state also saw an increase in cases of cybercrime in 2018. Nearly 6,280 cybercrime cases were reported in 2018, an increase of 26 per cent as compared to 2017.
But the Uttar Pradesh Police has, however, rubbished the figures in the report.
"The rape cases in Uttar Pradesh are 3,946 and not 4,322. The number of rape cases actually came down by 7 per cent in 2018, compared to 2017," it said in an official statement.
Meanwhile, DGP O.P. Singh said that the crime figures should be seen in the context of the population of the state.
"Uttar Pradesh has the largest population and the crime figures will naturally be higher than other states. We have taken several measures to check crime. Our emergency helpline is closely monitored to find the blind spots and strict action is taken if ny police personnel are found lacking.
"We are also reviving the beat constable system in order to establish a rapport between the common man and the police," he added.