Bangalore’s cool quotient has taken a drubbing with the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report for 2012 saying it is the second highest crime-prone metro in the country. While the city tops the list in the number of robbery and dacoity cases registered in the country, it also stood second in the number of reported cases of rape, kidnap and murder.
There were 670 robberies last year — ahead of Delhi (522) — while it tops other metros with 37 dacoity cases. With 266 murders reported, Bangalore is next only to Delhi (408). It also stands second in kidnappings, with 532 reported, as against Delhi’s 3,274. However, despite the latest figures putting Bangalore as the second highest crime-prone metro, the city police claim the country’s IT capital is still the safest in the country.
Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Pronab Mohanty told The Hindu the breakup of murder cases show that only 17 were committed for gain, which could have been prevented by the police. “Other murders due to personal vendetta/enmity, sexual jealousy, dowry-related and other causes cannot be prevented as family members, relatives and acquaintances were involved.” Though the city reported 369 murder attempts, it was a technicality as the police slap the charge as a deterrent to obtaining bail.
He conceded the role of bad policing in 2,263 cases of crime against women but said they concerned social issues that should be dealt with separately. Mr. Mohanty pointed out that often consensual sex ended up as rape cases based on the woman’s statement.
As for robbery and dacoity cases, even chain and purse-snatching cases are categorised under robbery, unlike in other cities. When it came to kidnapping cases, there were orders to register missing children under kidnappings to escalate the seriousness among the police. This was not done in other cities, Mr. Mohanty said.
