India’s crime numbers climbed noticeably in 2023, according to the latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report. Police registered a total of 6,241,569 cognizable cases nationwide, marking a 7.2% jump from the 5,824,946 cases in 2022. This surge highlights growing concerns over public safety and law enforcement challenges in India.
The data, from the NCRB’s annual “Crime in India 2023” report, breaks down into 3,763,102 cases under the Indian Penal Code (IPC)—making up 60.3% of the total—and 2,478,467 under Special and Local Laws (SLL), which account for the rest. IPC cases rose 5.7%, while SLL cases shot up 9.5%. Overall, the crime rate per lakh population increased from 422.2 in 2022 to 448.3 last year, signaling a broader uptick in criminal activity across the country.
Some everyday offenses saw big spikes. For instance, cases of obstruction on public ways under Section 283 of the IPC doubled, jumping from 93,548 in 2022 to 151,469 in 2023. Theft cases also grew, reaching 689,580 from 652,731 the year before. On the SLL side, violations of the Motor Vehicle Act nearly doubled, with 191,828 cases reported compared to 94,450—adding 97,378 more incidents.
Police tackled 5,361,518 IPC cases in 2023, including old pending files and reopened ones. They wrapped up 3,785,839 of them, filing charge sheets in 2,753,235 cases for a solid 72.7% charge-sheeting rate. That’s a positive note amid the rising totals.
Crimes against the human body stood out, with 1.185 million cases making up 31.5% of all IPC offenses. Hurt topped the list at 636,000 incidents (53.7%), followed by deaths due to negligence (165,000, or 14%) and kidnapping and abduction (113,000, or 9.6%). These offenses rose 2.3% from 2022, pushing the crime rate from 84.0 to 85.2 per lakh population.
Not all categories worsened. Murder cases dipped 2.8% to 27,721 from 28,522. Disputes drove most of them (9,209 cases), with personal vendetta (3,458) and gain (1,890) close behind.
Kidnapping and abduction climbed 5.6% to 113,000 cases, affecting 116,000 victims—mostly kids at 82,106 (70.5%). The good news? Police rescued 140,000 people, with the vast majority found alive. Violations of public tranquility also increased, hitting 58,247 cases, led by rioting at 39,260 (67.4%).
When it comes to crimes against women, numbers edged up 0.7% to 448,000 cases. Cruelty by husbands or relatives led with 133,000 (29.8%), followed by kidnapping and abduction of women (88,605, or 19.8%) and assault to outrage modesty (83,891, or 18.7%). The rate stayed steady at 66.2 per lakh women.
Children faced a steeper rise, with crimes against them surging 9.2% to 177,000 cases. Kidnapping and abduction accounted for nearly half (79,884, or 45%), while Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act violations hit 67,694 (38.2%).
For senior citizens, things improved slightly: Reported crimes fell 2.3% to 27,886 cases. Simple hurt (7,608, or 27.3%), theft (4,130, or 14.8%), and fraud (3,473, or 12.5%) were the main issues.
Cybercrime grabbed headlines with a massive 31.2% increase to 86,420 cases from 65,893. Fraud dominated at 59,526 (nearly 70%), followed by sexual exploitation (4,199) and extortion (3,326). The cybercrime rate per lakh population rose from 4.8 to 6.2, underscoring the growing digital threats in India.
Crimes against Scheduled Tribes (STs) jumped 28.8% to 12,960 cases, with simple hurt (21.3%), riots (13.2%), and rape (9.2%) leading. For Scheduled Castes (SCs), cases held steady at 57,789, up just a bit from 57,582. Simple hurt (31.9%), criminal intimidation (7.8%), and offenses under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act (7.5%) topped the list.
This NCRB report paints a mixed picture for India’s crime landscape in 2023, with rises in key areas like cybercrime, child offenses, and theft demanding stronger action from authorities.
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