Heinous crimes in Delhi down by over 70% amid lockdown: Police

Amidst the countrywide lockdown to control the COVID-19 outbreak, heinous crimes have significantly decreased by over 70 per cent in the national capital in comparison to last year, police said on Friday.

The Delhi police has released data which showed that 221 cases of heinous crimes were registered in 2019 from April 1 to April 15, while in 2020 during the same period, 66 such cases were registered.

Last year from April 1 to April 15, total 10,579 cases were registered, while the number of cases reported in 2020 during the same time period was 2,574, police said.

Reports of cases of murder and rape have reduced by over 75 per cent, they said.

In the last two weeks, four cases of murder and 21 cases of rape were registered in Delhi. Last year, total 19 cases of murder and 93 cases of rape were registered during the first two weeks of April.

The cases of robbery and snatching have also gone down by 62 and 79 per cent respectively, police said.

Last year, eight cases of extortion and 13 cases of abduction were recorded in two weeks of April. This year, no case of extortion was recorded and only one case of abduction was reported, they added.

The crime rate in Delhi dropped by 42 per cent in the last two weeks of March as compared to the same period last year.

A total of 1,990 cases were registered from March 15 to 31 this year as against 3,416 cases during the same period last year.

There has been a 50 per cent decline in cases related to outraging the modesty of women while 42 per cent decline in kidnapping cases as compared to last year during the same period, 64 per cent decline in abduction cases, 77 per cent decline in extortion, 51 per cent decline in robbery, 60 per cent decline in fatal accidents, according to the data.

Out of the total 1,990 cases, 53 cases of robbery, 181 cases of snatching, 27 cases under sections of grievous hurt, 55 cases of burglary, 1,243 cases of motor vehicle theft, 66 case of house theft, 72 cases under sections of outraging modesty of women, 150 cases of kidnapping, while 112 cases of accidents with no casualties were reported.