Crimes against women in the city continue to be on an upward spiral, despite a series of measures launched by the Vijayawada Police Commissionerate to make the city safer for women.
Out of 138 girls who were reported to be missing this year, ten cases continue to be pending in which efforts are on to trace the victims. In 2017, 142 girls went missing, police said.
However, other crimes such as property offences, cybercrimes and road accidents have come down in comparison to previous years.
Giving out details of the 2018 crime data at a press conference here on Sunday, Police Commissioner Ch. Dwaraka Tirumala Rao said 530 harassment cases were registered as compared to 472 last year. About 320 cases of outraging of modesty were reported in 2018, which stood at 258 in the previous year.
There was a drop in rapes with 50 cases in 2018, as compared to 77 in 2017. In 16 cases, neighbours were found to have committed the offence, while four were committed by relatives. As many as 30 rapes were committed by those who were in a relationship with the victim, Mr. Tirumala Rao said.
Police registered 10 abetments of suicide, six murders (all women victims), 27 kidnaps and 105 cases of women being intimidated this year.
City police launched Shakti Teams and a Women Protection Cell for women safety in 2018. Training was given to the 70 Shakti Team members on self defence, cracking down on eve-teasing and harassment at public places, handling weapons and on communication skills, he said.
Road fatalities
As many as 347 persons were killed and 1,483 injured in 1,644 road accidents under Vijayawada Police Commissionerate limits in 2018, against 1,639 accident cases reported and 368 deaths last year.
In all, 1,591 property offences were reported and property worth ₹9.01 crore was lost this year. Police recovered ₹4.98 crore or 55.27% of the loot.
Police registered 183 cybercrime cases in 2018, which stood at 231 last year. The cybercrime cases include banking fraud, cheating on various social media sites and mobile phones, police said.
Rackets busted
The Task Force police busted cricket betting, ganja smuggling, foreign cigarettes, fake motor vehicle insurance certificates, fake currency and Aadhaar cards, illegal transportation of PDS rice and flesh trade rackets in 2018.
Focus was laid on traffic, visible policing, enlightening public on different modus operandi of crimes and construction of model police stations in the city, Mr. Tirumala Rao added.
Deputy Commissioners of Police B. Rajakumari and Venkata Appala Naidu and other officers were present.
