THOOTHUKUDI: Crime rate in Thoothukudi district witnessed a dip in 2023 with 70% of the 578 cases being resolved, said Superintendent of Police L Balaji Saravanan on Thursday. Noting that the cyber crime wing had recovered 875 mobile phones worth Rs 87.5 lakh, the SP handed over 100 mobile phones, worth Rs 10 lakh, to their owners at the SP’s office.
Speaking on the occasion, he added that the cyber wing had cracked 28 cases of fraud through investment apps, promises for higher returns on deposits, marketing-related jobs, and had recovered Rs 46.59 lakh from the accused individuals. In connection with cases of online scams, he said, a sum of at least Rs 19.62 crore has been frozen from the suspects. “Victims will get back their money following court orders,” the SP added.
Highlighting the dip in crime rate in the district, SP Saravanan said that the district reported 68 murders in 2023, which was 10 lesser than the previous year. The number of criminal cases registered also dropped from 598 in 2022 to 578 cases in 2023. He attributed the dip in crime rate to effective mitigation measures.
Cracking a whip on ganja peddlers, he said 127 cases were registered in 2023, which led to the seizure of Rs 1.53 crore worth contraband and arrest of 249 peddlers. Among the 185 individuals detained under the Goondas Act, the SP said, 30 people were detained in connection with ganja peddling.
In a ganja oil smuggling case from 2022, the police had managed to get a 10-year rigorous imprisonment for the accused. Additional Superintendent of Police Karthikeyan, cyber wing Additional Superintendent of Police Unnikrishnan and other police officials were present apart from the SP.