The COVID-19 lockdown has brought about a lot of difficulties for the people, yet it has considerably reduced the incidence of crimes in the district. Police officers said the data showing a sharp fall in crimes in Malappuram district was an indication of the general trend across the State during the lockdown.
Domestic violence
Although people were confined to their homes for the past one month, the number of domestic violence cases has fallen sharply. Only 10 domestic violence cases were reported from different parts of the district during the lockdown period from March 24 to April 24. During the same period in 2019, 20 domestic violence cases had been registered in Malappuram.
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Although the total number of police cases trebled in Malappuram during the lockdown month compared to March 24-April 24 last year, more than 95% of them were in connection with violation of lockdown norms. While 1,098 cases had been registered in March-April period in 2019, the number of cases filed during the lockdown was 3,805.
“The number of cases increased, but crimes decreased considerably,” said District Police Chief U. Abdul Kareem. “More than 95% cases were in connection with COVID-19 lockdown,” he said.
The number of snatching cases fell from five to two during the lockdown period in Malappuram. There were 25 assault cases in March-April last year, while there was only one assault case during the lockdown. The number of rape cases fell from 16 in March-April last year to six this year.
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Accidents
The district had witnessed 31 accident deaths between March 24 and April 24 last year, while the same period recorded only three accident deaths this year. The number of people injured in accidents fell from 167 last year to 18 during the lockdown. The number of suicides too fell from 34 to 11, and missing cases from 61 to nine.