Theft most common crime in Delhi, shows NCRB data
According to NCRB data, of the 249,000 criminal cases filed by the state police in 2018, nearly 80% were related to theft; one-third of all thefts in India were in Delhi.
Theft is the most common crime committed in Delhi – of the 249,000 criminal cases filed by the state police in 2018, nearly 80% were related to theft — according to data given in the latest Crime in India report released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) on Wednesday. Also, Delhi has a disproportionate share of such cases – one-third of all reported thefts in India occurred in Delhi, a city-state that is home to less than 2% of the country’s population (as per Census 2011).
Annual crime statistics of at least last 10 years show that the total number of criminal cases filed in Delhi and their share in total cases filed across India have been constantly rising – from about 50,000 cases (2.4% of all cases in India) in 2009 to 249,000 cases (7.9% of all cases in India) in 2018. Thefts are a major source of this upward trend.
While the share of theft cases among crimes in Delhi has been increasing – from 43% in 2009 to nearly 80% in 2018 -- the number of non-theft cases has shown a decreasing trend since 2015. This is also visible in statistics for 2019 given on the Delhi Police website.
Although this data corresponds to the period up to November 15 only, the number of theft cases has already crossed the 2018 figure. (See Chart 1)
As a result of the increasing number of theft cases, Delhi’s share in the country’s theft cases has increased by nearly five times in a decade. (See Chart 2)
To be sure, not all kinds of thefts have increased, according to the Delhi Police data. Snatching and house theft cases have shown a decreasing trend over last five years, according to the police data, while theft of motor vehicles and other thefts have been increasing. (See Chart 3)
The significant rise in the number of theft cases can also mean that more people now report thefts. The NCRB report says that certain states, such as Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, have provided the means to register theft cases online, which may have increased the crime reporting in these states.
An HT analysis of crime data between January 1 and September 20 had shown that Delhi Police have been registering several cases of snatching as simple theft, in a practice that experts said may explain the Capital’s declining street crime numbers at a time when anecdotal accounts suggest it is one of the biggest problems plaguing the city.
In at least 100 FIRs registered in the aforementioned nine-month period that HT reviewed, victims complained to Delhi Police that bike-borne assailants “snatched” their belongings – such as jewellery, money or mobile phones -- but police registered first information reports (FIRs) under Section 379 (theft) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) instead of Sections 356 (assault or criminal force to commit theft) and 392 (robbery).
The maximum sentence under Section 379 is three years, that under Section 356 is two years and under Section 392 is 10 years.
Delhi police spokesperson said the increase in the number of theft cases was because of the e-registration facility by the Delhi police. He said thefts had been taking place earlier as well but nearly all victims were now reporting them.
Former director general of police, Vikram Singh, said a majority of those charged of theft are eventually acquitted and this was one of the reasons why the number of theft cases has been increasing. “Almost all the thefts barring a few end up being unpunished. So it’s one grey area of policing that needs to be redressed,” he said, adding that theft cases naturally increase with population but those that are reported should not go unaddressed. “The figures that you get are the figures that actually reflect the registration trends. The ground reality is that this crime is increasing everywhere world over.”
Former deputy commissioner of police, LN Rao, who has a 32-year experience working with Delhi police, said even as the facility to file an e-FIR might have helped increase reporting of the theft cases, proper investigation is apparently not done in those cases and this is why higher reporting was not helping contain the crime.
