Mumbai News: Rape Cases In City Jumped 130% In Past 10 Years, Says Report

Mumbai: The number of registered rape cases in Mumbai has risen from 391 to 901 from 2013 to 2022 — a rise of 130 per cent in the last 10 years — while molestation cases have risen by 105 per cent from 1,137 to 2,329, according to the Praja Foundation.

As many as 63 per cent of the victims in the rape cases in 2022 were minor girls and these cases have been registered under the POCSO Act.

At the end of 2022, investigation in 73 per cent of the POCSO cases was pending, said the Praja Foundation, in its report on 'State of Policing and Law & Order in Mumbai, 2023'.

Lack Of Investigating Officers Affects Probe

This comes against the backdrop of a 22 per cent shortage of investigating officers as of July 2023. At the end of 2022, forensic examination was pending in 44 per cent of the cases; possibly because there was a 39 per cent shortage of staff in the forensic department as of March 2023.

The foundation also highlighted that cyber crimes have increased by 243 per cent from 2018 to 2022 with the number of cases jumping from 1,375 to 4,723. Cases of credit card fraud and cheating have increased by 657 per cent (461 to 3,490) in the same period. The detection rate in registered cyber crime cases was a mere 8 per cent in 2022, it said.

“Cybercrimes are mounting all over the world and Mumbai is no exception. Though mitigation steps have been taken by Mumbai police to curb this issue, such as the formation of cyber cells in the police stations, the detection ratio in 2022 was merely 8 per cent.

Praja Foundation Reacts To Alarming Trends

This ratio highlights the need for capacity building of police officials on technical skills to investigate cases of cyber crime in a speedy manner,” said Yogesh Mishra, Head of Research, Praja Foundation.

“The significance of maintaining law and order cannot be overlooked in Mumbai, where aspirations for world-class amenities are intertwined with the complexities of urban life. This quest for safety encompasses both major and minor threats, requiring efficiency in the registration of crimes, timely investigation, and the administration of justice. To bring efficiency to the maintenance of law and order, the Supreme Court of India issued directives for seven police reforms in the judgement of the 'Prakash Singh vs Union of India Case in 2006,” said Milind Mhaske, CEO of Praja Foundation.