National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report, Crime in India 2022, has highlighted Hyderabad’s highest incidence of crimes against girl children under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO Act).
Of 52 cases across Indian cities, Hyderabad recorded a staggering 21 cases pertaining to the use of children for pornography or storing child pornography material, while Jaipur stood second with 10 cases, 50% less than that of Hyderabad, Bengaluru (Karnataka) reported 4 cases and Delhi 1.
Rise in cases of abduction
The kidnapping and abduction cases have shown a rising trend over the past three years. Of these, 130 victims were females aged between 12 and 16 years, and 152 were in the age group of 18-30. In 2022, there were 609 cases registered in Hyderabad, an increase from the 451 and 513 cases reported in 2020 and 2021, respectively.
Besides that, the city reported 35 cases under the Child Labour Act, making it the second highest among Indian cities in this regard, following Delhi, which reported 177 cases.
Crime against women
The rate of crime against women in Hyderabad has been increasing too. In 2020, 2021, and 2022, the city recorded 2,390, 3,050, and 3,145 instances, respectively.
There were 104 cases of rape reported in 2022 involved women above 18 years. There were no reported cases of rape involving minor girls. Similarly, all 207 cases reported under the category of “Insult to the Modesty of Women” involved no minor girls.
Cyber crimes
A significant finding in the NCRB report is the 50% increase in cybercrime cases in 2022, with a total of 15,297 incidents compared to 10,303 in 2021 and 5,024 in 2020. Of these, 16 incidents were women-centric cybercrimes under the Information Technology Act, including five cases involving the publishing or circulating sexually explicit material, and 11 cases of blackmailing, defamation/morphing, and fake profiles.
Murder cases
The murder cases recorded in the city were 71 in 2020, 98 in 2021, and 79 in 2022. The motives behind these murders varied, including financial gain (4 cases), personal vendetta (10), dowry (1), love affairs (3), property disputes (2), family disputes (10), and 6 cases where the motive was unknown or unclear.
