In 2024, India experienced a 6% reduction in overall crime, with the total number of cases dropping to 5.885 million from 6.241 million in 2023, as reported by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) on Wednesday. However, cybercrime incidents surged nearly 18% during this period.
Economic crimes also saw an increase of 4.6%, with 214,379 cases noted in 2024 compared to 204,973 the previous year. Cybercrime statistics revealed that 101,928 cases were recorded, marking a 17.9% rise from the 86,420 cases reported in 2023. The crime rate for cyber-related offenses escalated from 6.2 per 100,000 population in 2023 to 7.3 in 2024.
Concerns regarding child safety persisted, with 98,375 children reported missing in 2024, reflecting a 7.8% increase from 91,296 in 2023. This figure included 75,603 girls, 22,768 boys, and four transgender children.
Murder cases totaled 27,049 in the past year, representing a slight decrease of 2.4% compared to the previous year. Disputes were identified as the primary motive for these offenses, followed by personal vendettas and financial gain.
The report indicated a 1.5% decline in crimes against women, with 441,000 cases reported in 2024 compared to 448,000 in 2023. The predominant cause of these incidents was cruelty by husbands or relatives, followed by kidnapping, crimes against minors, and assaults aimed at degrading women’s dignity.
In the realm of cybercrime, 72.6% of cases in 2024 were related to fraud, totaling 73,987, while sexual exploitation accounted for 3.1% and extortion for 2.5%. The overall crime rate, measured as the number of cases per 100,000 population, decreased from 448.3 in 2023 to 418.9 in 2024.
Forgery, cheating, and fraud comprised a significant portion of economic offenses, amounting to 192,382 cases, which represented almost 90% of the total economic crime figures.
Crimes involving foreigners rose by 8% to 257 cases in 2024, up from 238 in 2023. The primary concerns were theft, with 62 cases, and breaches of the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, which accounted for 25 cases. Among the 317 victims, 64% were from Asia and 15.1% from Africa.
The number of crimes committed by foreigners also increased by 9.7% to 2,792 cases. Notably, 46.6% of these incidents were categorized under the Foreigners Act, while 19.5% fell under the Passport Act.
The crime rate for women was recorded at 64.6 per 100,000 population in 2024, a slight decline from 66.2 in 2023. Additionally, the number of registered cases against Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) showed a decrease.
A total of 55,698 cases were filed for crimes against SCs, reflecting a 3.6% decline from 57,789 cases in 2023. Similarly, crimes against STs dropped significantly by 23.1%, with 9,966 cases in 2024 compared to 12,960 in 2023.
In terms of SC cases, Uttar Pradesh led with 14,642 incidents, followed by Madhya Pradesh with 7,765 and Bihar with 7,549. Among Union Territories, Delhi reported the highest number of cases against SCs, followed by Jammu and Kashmir with 19 cases and Chandigarh with five.
For STs, Madhya Pradesh again had the highest figures with 3,165 cases, followed by Rajasthan with 2,282 and Maharashtra with 830. Delhi also recorded the most cases against STs among Union Territories in 2024.
Data indicates that Delhi had the highest number of cases involving Children in Conflict with the Law (CCL), with 42 out of every 100,000 minors allegedly involved. The city recorded 2,306 such cases in 2024, a slight increase from 2,278 the previous year. Chennai and Bengaluru followed with 466 and 386 cases, respectively.
