Nagpur: The latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report reveals a significant decline in cognizable offences in Nagpur, the Second Capital of Maharashtra, over the past two years. In a noteworthy shift, Nagpur’s crime rate dropped by 14% in 2022 compared to the statistics from 2021 and 2020.
In 2020, Nagpur stood as the second-highest in India for its crime rate, trailing behind Bihar’s capital, Patna. However, recent data indicates a remarkable turnaround. Nagpur, with a crime rate of 767.3 per one lakh population, now holds the eighth position among 19 metropolitan cities surveyed, marking a notable shift from its previous status as the State’s ‘crime capital.’
The specifics of the report illustrate a downward trend in registered cases by the Nagpur city police: 19,250 cases in 2020, 22,302 in 2021, and a further drop to 19,167 in 2022. This shift highlights a decreasing trend in criminal incidents within the city.
Nagpur’s current position in the crime rate ranking is significant. Despite being joint seventh for murder rates, with 65 reported cases in 2022, the city stands out in the larger context. While Delhi city topped the chart with a crime rate of 1,952.5 per one lakh population, Nagpur is eighth with 767.3. Kochi is second with 1,358.2 cases, followed by Indore (1,251.8), Jaipur (1,202.8), Surat (1,206.1), Patna (1,045.1), Ahmedabad (847.7), Nagpur (767.3), Lucknow (656.9) and Kozhikode (570.6). Nagpur’s current 8th rank in two years is notable.
Moreover, the frequency of serious offences has notably decreased in Nagpur. The shift from three incidents per hour in 2021 to two in 2022 indicates a positive trend. This stands in contrast to Mumbai with seven offences per hour and Pune with four in 2022.
The data from the NCRB report underscores Nagpur’s commendable progress in reducing crime rates and improving its standing among metropolitan cities. This positive trajectory reflects the concerted efforts of law enforcement and initiatives aimed at enhancing public safety within the city
With a murder rate of 2.6 (per one lakh population), Nagpur shares joint seventh spot in the all-India chart along with Ghaziabad. In 2022, Nagpur reported 65 cases of murder while Delhi topped the chart with 501, followed by Bengaluru (173) and Mumbai (135).
Murder cases in India in 2022: NCRB
A total of 28,522 FIRs of murder were registered in 2022 — an average of 78 killings every day or more than three every hour — across India, downfrom 29,272 in 2021 and 29,193 in 2020, according to the latest NCRB data.
‘Disputes’ with 9,962 cases was the motive in highest number of murder cases in 2022 followed by ‘personal vendetta or enmity in 3,761 cases and ‘gain’ in 1,884 cases, said the data in the annual crime report of the National Crime Records Bureau, which functions under Union Ministry of Home Affairs.
The rate of murder per lakh population across the country stood at 2.1, while the chargesheeting in such cases was 81.5, according to the NCRB. Uttar Pradesh saw the highest number of such FIRs at 3,491 in 2022 followed by Bihar (2,930), Maharashtra (2,295), Madhya Pradesh (1,978) and Rajasthan (1,834), with the top five states together accounting for 43.92 per cent of murder cases in the country, the data showed.
The top five States with the least number of murder cases in 2022 were Sikkim (9), Nagaland (21), Mizoram (31), Goa (44), and Manipur (47), according to the NCRB, which is tasked with collection and analysis of crime data. Among Union Territories, Delhi, the national capital, registered 509 cases of murder in 2022 followed by Jammu and Kashmir (99), Puducherry (30), Chandigarh (18), Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu (16), Andaman and Nicobar Islands (7), Ladakh (5) and Lakshadweep (Zero).
Across India in 2022, the murder rate was highest in Jharkhand (4), followed by Arunachal Pradesh (3.6), Chhattisgarh and Haryana (both 3.4), Assam and Odisha (both 3). Uttar Pradesh (1.5), Bihar (2.3), Maharashtra (1.8), Madhya Pradesh (2.3) and Rajasthan (2.3) fared better in terms of crime per lakh population.
In terms of age, 95.4 percent of victims of murder were adults. Of total murder victims, 8,125 were female and nine third-gender persons, with men constituting about 70 percent of victims, according to the NCRB.
