Crime against women and sexual assault on minors in Gurugram rose in 2018
The police had registered 140 cases under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act in 2017. However, they registered 181 cases this year
About 29% more cases of sexual crimes against children were registered in the city this year as compared to 2017, police commissioner KK Rao said, while releasing the crime data for the year, on Friday.
The police had registered 140 cases under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act in 2017. However, they registered 181 cases this year (until Friday).
The police said the rise in the number of cases is due to awareness, as children are now confiding in their parents regarding such incidents.
Shakuntala Dhull, chairperson, child welfare committee, said in most the cases the accused was a family member or an acquaintance. “The act on sexual offences against children was enacted in November 2012, and since then the number of registered cases have increased in the district. This year, of 181 victims, 43 were below five years of age,” Dhull said.
Crime against women
Crime against women also witnessed a rise of 5.3%. This year, 139 cases were registered at different police stations, as compared to 132 last year.
Rao said arrests were made in all the cases, while 12 were quashed after they were allegedly found to be fake, implicating people due to personal or property disputes. “We have directed station house officers and investigating officers to conduct a fair investigation before filing a chargesheet. In most cases, it was seen that it was the victim’s acquaintances who were the perpetrators of the rape,” Rao said.
Vehicle theft on the rise
The number of stolen vehicle cases increased by 5.2%, with 4,318 cases being registered in 2018 as compared to 4,104 last year. On an average, 11 vehicles are stolen in Gurugram every day, making vehicle theft the most reported crime. However, the police busted 41 vehicle-lifters and recovered 300 vehicles from their possession this year. Over 214 more vehicles were stolen from the city until December 28 this year, when compared to the same period last year.
“Most of the accused involved in vehicle theft are from Mewat and Rajasthan. College students and school dropouts are usually the prime accused who ware involved in crime for quick cash,” Rao said.
Burglary
As against 602 cases of burglary last year, 577 were registered this year, the police said.
On an average, around two theft cases are reported each day from the city. According to officials, new Gurugram has suffered the most. Few areas from where most of the cases have been reported are sectors 56, 57, Sushant Lok, Palam Vihar and Sector 10A.
This year, the police arrested 33 people who confessed to various incidences of burglaries. The police recovered household stuff from their possession and said most of them conducted reconnaissance of the areas, and kept a check on the movement of the residents.
Dip in heinous crimes
The number of heinous crimes such as murder, robbery and dacoity decreased this year. According to Rao, the police has also managed to control street crime.
Until Friday, 77 murder cases were reported, as compared to last year’s 106. The number of loot cases reduced by almost 55% (96 cases compared to last year’s 41).
On the number of major crimes decreasing this year, Rao said, “Our major focus was on prevention and detention this year. Police presence was increased and petty crime was controlled. We introduced the centralised patrolling programme and ensured that personnel worked for only eight hours at a stretch instead of 12 hours — their efficiency increased. Crime units were deployed at all vulnerable spots where most snatching cases were reported from, and most of the gangs involved were arrested,” he added.
He further added that the police provided better infrastructure for their teams and the pendency of cases reduced to 15 % from 35% this year.
Rao said the year has been a mixed bag of achievements and failure for the city police.The city police handled Cyber Crime cases successfully, he said. He said this year the police had received 33,133 complaints this year, of which they had disposed of 30,893.
The police busted more than 60 notorious gangs from Mewat, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Haryana this year, and arrested 25 wanted men.
As the end of 2018 nears, Rao said the police has been analysing their achievements in controlling the nightlife, crime, and traffic.