As many as 35,465 juveniles (aged below 18) were arrested for offences under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) nationwide during 2012. Among them, 33,793 were boys and 1,672 girls. These arrests were made on 27,936 cases filed involving juveniles — the highest since 2002 — out of a total of 2,38,7188 cases registered under the IPC.
Data released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) shows that juveniles were involved in 1.2 per cent of the total crimes under the IPC. The crime rate among juveniles was 2.3 for every one lakh juveniles, and that is also the highest since 2002. The number of crimes committed by juveniles rose by 11.2 per cent over 2011.
As many as 883 juveniles arrested for offences were in the age group of 7-12. They included 80 girls. The highest number of arrests in this age group was made in Madhya Pradesh (164), followed by Maharashtra (138). The highest number of arrests — 23,636 — were made among juveniles in the 16-18 age group; 22,532 of them were boys. Of the juveniles arrested, 31,639 were living with their parents and 2,390 homeless. Only 7,226 were illiterate.
The NCRB figures show that sexual offences in which juveniles (boys) are involved have been on the rise since 2002. Last year, 2,239 boys were arrested for such offences: 1,316 on rape charges and the rest for “outraging or insulting” the modesty of women. In fact, the number of boys arrested for rape in 2012 is also the highest since 2002. (485 in 2002, 798 in 2009, 858 in 2010 and 1,149 in 2011).
M.P. tops list
State-wise, the highest number of rape cases involving boys was registered in Madhya Pradesh (249). That State also accounted for the highest number of boys arrested on the charge of rape (284). As many as 123 boys in Uttar Pradesh, 109 in Rajasthan and 106 in Maharashtra were arrested on the charge of rape. In Delhi, 63 boys were arrested for the offence last year.
On the charge of murder, 1,281 juveniles were arrested last year. In this category too, Madhya Pradesh topped with 197 arrests, followed by Maharashtra (183) and Uttar Pradesh (120). In Delhi, 100 juveniles were arrested. The statistics show that 73 juveniles were arrested for involvement in dowry deaths. Of the 1,132 juveniles arrested on the charge of attempt to murder, Maharashtra accounted for 188, followed by Madhya Pradesh (184) and Bihar (178).
Robbery, theft and burglary charges accounted for the highest number of arrests among the juveniles: 11,702. Maharashtra topped, with 2,530 arrests. As many as 2,068 juveniles were arrested on the charge of auto theft alone, with Maharashtra again topping the category with 494 arrests. Goa, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Daman & Diu, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Lakshadweep are the administrative divisions from where no juveniles were arrested.
