Crimes against women and children saw a rise in Andhra Pradesh in the year 2022, as per the data released recently by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).
Andhra Pradesh stood sixth in the country in the number of cases of crime against women. The State registered 25,503 cases of crime against women in 2022, as against 17,752 in 2021 and 17,089 in 2020.
Uttar Pradesh reported most number of cases of crime against women (65,743). It was followed by Maharashtra (45,331), Rajasthan (45,058), West Bengal (34,738) and Madhya Pradesh (32,765).
As per the data, 11,964 cases were related to IPC Section 498 (cruelty by husband or relatives). NTR district registered 1,204 such cases. It was followed by Guntur (1,054) and Visakhapatnam (714).
Eight rape-and-murder cases, 100 dowry death cases (IPC Section 304B) and 358 cases of abetment to suicide of women (IPC Section 305/306) were also reported.
As many as 621 rape cases were also reported. Of them, 458 victims were between 18 and 30 years, the NCRB data said. Visakhapatnam district reported the most number of rape cases (69), which was followed by NTR district (51).
The data further said that as many as 5,884 cases of assault on women with an intent to outrage her modesty were booked.
During the year 2022, as many as 3,308 cases of crime against children were reported. This was against 2,669 cases in 2021 and 2,648 cases in 2020.
Of the total cases, 2,136 were booked under various sections of the POCSO Act.
“Women are increasingly coming forward to lodge complaint whenever in distress, and therefore there is a rise in the number of cases,” says a senior police officer in Visakhapatnam.
“Initiatives such as Disha SOS app and Mahila Police have ensured that women approach the police without any hesitation,” he adds.
When it comes to cybercrimes, Andhra Pradesh stood fifth in the country with 2,341 cases in 2022. Karnataka, with 12,556 cases, stood in the first place. It was followed by Telangana, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh.
Of the 2,341 cybercrime cases, 984 were related to online banking and OTP frauds. Visakhapatnam district stood first with 621 cases, which was followed by Guntur with 348 cases.
Other crimes
When it comes to other crimes, Andhra Pradesh reported 925 murders during the year 2022. Tirupati reported the most number of 60 murder cases. It was followed by Nellore (54), Anantapur and Sri Sathya Sai districts (51 each). As many as 211 murders were committed due to illicit relationship, the data said.
Andhra Pradesh also saw 21,070 road accidents in which 8,293 persons died in the year 2022. As per the data, there were 8,908 suicide cases in the State in 2022.
