VIJAYAWADA: The reduction in the number of cases pertaining to crimes against women, violent crimes and other IPC related cases has resulted in Andhra Pradesh recording a 4.3 per cent decline in the total number of cases registered in 2018. A total of 1,26,635 cases were registered in the State in 2018 as against 1,32,336 cases in 2017.
According to the statistics released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), 1,44,703 cases, including 1,26,635 IPC and 18,068 State Local Laws (SLL) cases were reported in the State in 2018 as against 1,48,002 cases in 2017. Though there is a decrease in overall crime by 2.79 per cent, AP stood 11th among 29 States in the country. AP’s rank is 12th when the seven Union Territories are taken into account.
The data further revealed that AP succeeded in reducing crimes against women in 2018, while several other States recorded more cases compared to 2017.
The number of cases related to crimes against women decreased to 16,438 in 2018 as against 17,909 cases in 2017. In 2018, 140 dowry deaths, 406 abetment of suicide, 6,831 women harassment, 697 kidnap, 971 rape, 4,445 assault with intent to outrage women’s modesty, 39 cybercrime and other cases were reported. AP which ranked seventh in the country in 2017, is in the ninth place in 2018 though the average number of crimes against women declined, as per the data.
In murder cases and riotings, AP ranked 13 by registering 935 cases out of the total 29,017 across the country. The same is the case with the number of violent crimes reported in 2018. Out of the total 4,28,134 cases, 8,211 cases were reported from AP in 2018 as against 8,288 cases in 2017. “In addition to 935 murder cases, 1,055 cases of kidnap and abduction, 1,482 cases of grievous hurt, 561 rioting, 468 arson, 971 rape and other cases were reported in 2018. A sharp decrease of 77 cases reported in 2017, while 7,464 cases were registered in 2016,” the NCRB statistics revealed.
In what could be a worrying trend, the crimes against children increased in AP and the country. As many as 2,672 crimes against children were reported in 2018 as against 2,397 cases in 2017 and 1,847 cases in 2016. “Of the total, 2,228 IPC cases such as murder, kidnap and other atrocities and 444 SLL cases, including Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) and Juvenile Justice and trafficking were reported in 2018,” the data showed.
Similarly, the cybercrimes also increased with the State registering 1,207 cases in 2018 as against 931 in 2017. After Karnataka which reported the highest number of 5,839 cases among other four Southern States and second in the country after Uttar Pradesh (6,280 cases), AP stood second followed by Telangana. Unlike previous years, the cases of One Time Password cheating, fraudsters posing as bank personnel, online banking cheating and cyber threatening such as spreading fake news and blackmailing increased, as per the NCRB data.
