Delhi: ‘Crimes against women fall 5.7%, but still worst in India’

In 2023, reported crimes against women in Delhi fell by 5.7%, but the city remains the most unsafe for women, with total crime rising by 7.5%.

The number of reported crimes against women in Delhi dipped by 5.7% in 2023 compared to the preceding year, even as overall criminal cases in the city surged by 7.5% in the same period, according to the National Crime Records Bureau’s (NCRB) “Crime in India 2023” report released on Monday.

‘Crimes against women fall 5.7%, but still worst in India’

Despite the decline in crime against women, Delhi retained the grim distinction of being the most unsafe “mega city” for women for the third consecutive year, the report showed.

A total of 13,366 crimes against women were reported in the national capital last year -- more than double the figures of Mumbai (6,025) and Bengaluru (4,870), the next two cities on the list. NCRB defines “mega cities” as those with populations exceeding two million.

Crimes against women

Despite the relative drop in number, the NCRB report – the 2023 edition was released on Monday – underscored Delhi’s notorious distinction of being unsafe for women.

Delhi Police data shows 13,439 cases of crimes against women were registered in 2023, down from 14,247 in 2022 and 14,277 in 2021. These include cases of rape, harassment, molestation, dowry harassment and dowry deaths.

Rape cases dropped by 9%, from 1,212 in 2022 to 1,094 in 2023, while dowry deaths declined by 12%, from 131 to 115. Molestation cases also dipped by 10%, with 1,814 cases in 2023 compared to 2,017 in 2022. Police credited “active patrolling,” women’s helplines and the expansion of “pink booths” for the reduction. The chargesheeting rate in these cases stood at nearly 70%.

However, crimes involving children told a different story. The number of rape cases under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act surged by 18%, rising from 890 cases in 2022 to 1,052 in 2023.

Overall, crimes against children jumped by 31% in 2023. A total of 7,769 such cases, which include violence, kidnapping, infanticide and murder, were registered in Delhi last year, up from 7,468 in 2022 and 7,118 in 2021.

Overall crime surge

Across categories, Delhi recorded 344,263 criminal cases in 2023 under both the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Special and Local Laws (SLL), the report showed. This marks a 7.5% rise from 320,274 cases in 2022 and continues the upward trend since 2021, when 306,000 cases were filed.

Street crime, particularly theft, showed the sharpest increase in the 2023 NCRB report. Delhi Police registered 228,537 theft cases in 2023, up from 206,650 in 2022 -- an increase of 10%.

Kidnapping and abduction cases also rose by 1.3%, with 5,715 cases compared to 5,641 in 2022. The chargesheeting rate for kidnapping remained dismal at just 6.6%.

Murder cases, meanwhile, dipped marginally -- from 509 in 2022 to 506 in 2023. Yet again, Delhi still topped the list among mega cities, followed by Bengaluru (206) and Jaipur (129).

Crimes committed by juveniles decreased slightly, with 2,278 cases in 2023 compared to 2,340 the previous year. These mostly involved theft, robbery and assault. The chargesheeting rate in such cases stood at 41%.

A surprising trend emerged in cybercrime. Delhi saw a 40% decline, with only 407 cases registered in 2023, compared to 685 in 2022. Most of these involved banking and OTP frauds, extortion and impersonation. The chargesheeting rate, however, was low -- just 49%, which means less than half cases end up in court.

Police officials acknowledged that while cybercrime complaints are increasing nationwide, many cases in Delhi go unreported or remain under preliminary inquiry. Experts warned that the apparent decline may not reflect the ground reality, with new scams evolving rapidly.