KOCHI: At a time when criminal cases in Malappuram have become a hot political controversy, data shows that the district stands only fourth in terms of the crime rate in the state, with 32,651 FIRs this year till August 31. Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam and Kollam districts are in the top three positions, with 50,627, 45,211and 35,211 FIRs, respectively, an in-depth analysis by TNIE of cases registered at each police station in Kerala has found.
But there is a catch. The Malappuram police district has the highest number of FIRs registered in Kerala during the period, followed by Kottayam (28,091), Thiruvananthapuram Rural (27,711), Alappuzha (27,631), Ernakulam Rural (26,977), and Palakkad (22,300).
This discrepancy in data happens because the state has 20 police districts, but only 14 revenue districts, which makes comparisons a challenge.
Malappuram tops the list because a few districts like Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam, Kollam and Kozhikode have multiple police districts within them. Malappuram’s crime data is from 37 police stations, including Vanitha, Coastal, and Cyber police stations.
As per the data collated by TNIE, cognisable IPC cases in Malappuram in 2024 (till June) stand at 12,536, and cognisable cases under special laws are 10,280. Since 2022, the police have seized a total of 147.79 kg of gold in the state, with 124.47kg from Malappuram district alone. In the past three years, the police seized hawala money totaling Rs 122.5 crore in the state, of which Rs 87.22 crore was confiscated from Malappuram.
As many as 5,906 narcotics cases were registered in the district from January 2023 to May 2024 — 5,120 for abuse of narcotic substances and 786 for drug peddling.
‘Enhanced policing results in rise in cases’
“The district with a higher population will have more cases. Having more police districts will enhance policing and enforcement activities,” said George Joseph, a retired superintendent of police. According to him, there has been a long demand to have an additional police district in Malappuram, considering it is the most populous district in Kerala.
According to the 2011 census, Malappuram has a population of 41,10,950. In comparison, Kottayam with a population of 19,79,384 had 28,091 FIRs in the first eight months of 2024.
The crime rate in Malappuram has been in news for quite some time with various political parties alleging that there’s an attempt to inflate the number of cases in the district, specifically pointing to a surge in traffic-related and narcotics cases.
As many as 40,428 cases for various crimes and offences were registered in Malappuram district in 2023, compared to 26,959 cases in 2022 and 19,045 in 2021. According to IUML MLA K P A Majeed, this trend began when Sujith Das took charge as the district’s SP. Majeed alleged that the police are splitting single incidents into multiple cases, such as registering separate cases for rash driving and not wearing a helmet.
According to a senior police officer in Malappuram, there are several factors that reflect the high number of cases registered in the district. “The rise in the number of cases is not confined to the Malappuram district alone. The numbers are going up across the state. This is due to improved enforcement activities resulting in a rise in cases related to narcotics and traffic offences. Drug cases are increasing in all districts at an alarming rate. Also, more cyber-related cases are being reported in state,” he said.
Justice B Kemal Pasha said an increase in police cases in a district does not indicate more people are involved in criminal cases.
“The rise in the number of cases can be viewed from multiple angles. It can be due to enforcement activities and an increase in the number of people approaching police with complaints. On the other hand, we commonly hear that police officials are given a target to register a number of cases every month by their higher-ups,’’ he said.
REMARKS WRONGLY ATTRIBUTED: CM
Kozhikode: A day after the chief minister’s alleged statements on Malappuram triggered a controversy, Pinarayi Vijayan clarified that the remarks were wrongly attributed to him. He said he had not mentioned any specific district or community in the interview. He emphasised that his opposition to communalism should not be considered as that against any particular group.
