With reports of over 300 cases of murder and attempt to murder in the Capital in the first four months of the year, a big question mark hangs over law and order situation in Delhi. With the 2010 Commonwealth Games set to take place in the city, the rising crime graph is a major cause for concerns. Property dispute, robbery and contract killing were reasons for most of the murders reported in the city in the first quarter of the year.
Alarmingly, there has been a spurt in crime incidents in NCR townships as well. Recently, a gang of biker thugs killed Sheeba Thomas and shot at a retired Lieutenant General in Noida. A 32-year-old property dealer, Nahar Singh, was shot in front of Roseland Public School minutes after he dropped his children to school in Gurgaon. Asha Devi (50) and her daughter Alka (26) were killed in their Kalkaji home in Delhi recently.
According to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) statistics, the crime rate in the Capital is among the highest in the country. The city witnessed 134 killings in the first three months of the year, while 119 cases of attempt to murder were reported during the same period.
The numbers of vehicle thefts till March reached 2,244, while it was 8,039 in 2007. The rate of vehicle theft is much higher in Delhi, reveal statistics. Till March 31 this year, the city also reported 107 rapes, 134 molestations, 135 robberies, 271 snatching and 479 cases of causing injury.
In 2007, there were 467 murders in the Capital, compared to 462 in 2006. Also, 499 attempt to murder cases were reported against 493 during the same period. Statistics reveal that 14 per cent of the murders last year were due to provocation, 11 per cent due to property dispute and 10 per cent due to enmity.
"Police could not have prevented most of the crimes that took place this year. However, we have cracked most of the incidents reported to us. The floating population of Delhi could be one of the reasons for these crimes," a senior police official said.
The city's propensity for flying into a rage at the slight provocation seems to be the motive behind most of the murders and attempts to murder. "Among other reasons are personal enmity and property-related disputes," the police official added.
According to Delhi Police Annual Report for 2007, 83 per cent of the victims were from the poor strata while 16 per cent belonged to the middle class. A whopping 42 per cent of the victims were aged below 25, while 51 per cent belonged to the 25-50 year age bracket.
Seventy-five per cent of those murdered were men. Delhi's two police districts also figure on the list of 15 police districts in the country where more than 10,000 IPC cases were registered in an year, according to the latest NCRB figures.
While the north-west district ranked 11th on the list with 11,146 cases in 2006, the south district came 12th with 10,854 cases.
Source: www.dailypioneer.com 05/May/2008
