According to a report titled 'Crime In India' for the year 2023 released by the National Crime Records Bureau on Tuesday, Pune reported an over 36.4 percent rise in cyber crime cases as compared to 2022 figures. The report also saw an over 23 per cent rise in crime against women as well as a 68 percent rise in crimes against children. After Kochi and Kolkata, Pune recorded the third highest chargesheeting rate of 94 per cent for crimes under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in the country in 2023. Chargesheeting rate Under the broader head of total IPC, Pune recorded 9,511 cases in 2021; 11,074 in 2022 and 12,542 in 2023. The 2023 figures reflected a 13.3 per cent increase over 2022. The 2022 numbers had shown a 16.4 percent rise compared to 2021. In cases registered under the head of 'Special Acts and Local Laws', collectively referred to as SLL, Pune recorded 3,458 in 2021; 3,099 in 2022 and 4,480 in 2023. The chargesheeting rate was calculated as the percentage of cases charge-sheeted among total cases disposed off by police. In 2023, Pune recorded a 94 per cent chargesheeting rate. Pune stood third in chargesheeting rates among 19 metro cities of India with Kochi (97.2 per cent) and Kolkata (94.7 per cent) taking first and second rank. Under SLL, Pune recorded an even higher chargesheeting rate of 98.9 per cent. Among major crime heads in Pune city registered in 2023 were 101 murders, four culpable homicides, 361 deaths due to negligence - of which 345 were road accidents and among those 115 were hit-and-run cases. There were six dowry deaths, 70 cases of abetment of suicide, 787 cases of kidnapping and abduction and 22 cases of human trafficking. Pune City reported 3,574 thefts of which 1,991 were those of vehicles. There were 612 burglaries and 349 robberies. Pune reported 134 cases of narcotics seizures in 2023. Cyber Crime A total of 86,420 cases were registered under Cyber Crimes head across India, showing an increase of 31.2 per cent in registration over 2022, when 65,893 cases were registered. Crime rate under this category increased from 4.8 in 2022 to 6.2 in 2023. Crime rate is the number of cases registered per one lakh population. During 2023, 68.9 per cent of cyber-crime cases registered were for the motive of financial fraud, followed by sexual exploitation, 4.9 per cent, and extortion, 3.8 per cent. As per NCRB data, Pune registered 225 cyber crime cases in 2021, 357 in 2022 and 487 in 2023. The 2023 figures show a 36.4 per cent increase over 2022, while the 2022 numbers had marked a 58.7 percent rise compared to 2021. In 2023, the police had a total of 1,010 cyber crime cases where investigations had been pending from previous years. Of these total 1,497 (1010 from the previous year and 487 from 2023), Pune police closed 87 cases in 2023. Of these, 45 were disposed of in spite of being verified, because sufficient evidence was not available for prosecution. While the remaining 43 reached the stage of filing chargesheet. Thus for cyber crime cases, Pune recorded a chargesheeting rate of 48.3 per cent in 2023. Police officials said 2023 was the first year with a significant rise in cases of task frauds, share trading frauds and online extortion or digital arrest scams. Of the total 487 registered in 2023, 28 were computer related offences, 17 were cases of identity theft, 10 were Cheating by impersonation using computer resource, 14 Publication or transmission of obscene or sexually explicit acts or material in electronic form, 12 were cyber stalking or bullying of women or children, 10 were cyber blackmailing cases and remaining 396 cases came under the broad head of online financial frauds. Police have attributed the rise in overall cyber crime to increased digital activity, wider use of smartphones and internet services, along with greater awareness, and improved reporting mechanisms. Crimes against women A total of 4,48,211 cases of crime against women were registered during 2023 across India, showing an increase of 0.7 percent over 2022 when 4,45,256 cases were registered. A large chunk of crimes against women were of cruelty by husband or relatives with 1,33,676 cases or 29.8 percent. ‘Kidnapping and abduction of women’ were 88,605 cases, 19.8 per cent, followed by ‘Assault on Women with intent to outrage her modesty’ with 83,891 cases or 18.71 percent. Pune reported 1616 crimes against women in 2021, 2074 in 2022 and 2,550 in 2023 — a 23.0 percent rise in 2023 over 2022, after a 28.3 percent increase the previous year. Pune'e chargesheeting rate for crimes against women was 77.1 percent. cases pending from the previous year 1167 and those registered in 2023 were 2,550. Registered cases in Pune under crucial heads in 2023 were six dowry deaths, 46 abetment of suicide of women, 609 cases of cruelty by husband and relatives, 588 assault on women to outrage modesty, 156 sexual harassment, nine cases of voyeurism, 176 cases of stalking and 196 cases of rape. Police have attributed the rise to higher incidence under some categories along with greater awareness among women, increased confidence in reporting offences, and improved registration by the police. Crimes against children A total of 1,77,335 cases of crime against children were registered during 2023, showing an increase of 9.2 per cent over 2022 (1,62,449 cases). In percentage terms, major crime heads under ‘Crime Against Children’ during 2023 were ‘Kidnapping and Abduction of Children’ (79,884 cases, 45 percent) and ‘Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO)’ (67,694 cases, 38.2%). The crime rate registered per lakh children population was 39.9 in 2023 in comparison with 36.6 in 2022. Pune reported 835 crimes against children in 2021, which dropped by 12.3 percent to 732 in 2022, but only to rise sharply by 68.6 percent to 1234 in 2023. The 2023 numbers included four murders, seven cases of abetment of suicides, seven cases of abandonment, 764 cases of kidnapping and abduction of which 329 were cases in which missing children were deemed as kidnapped, 432 cases under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, among other heads. Senior police officials said the sharp rise in the cases from 2022 to 2023 can be mainly attributed to the increased number of cases getting reported, especially the cases of kidnapping and POCSO-related offences, as awareness among the public and proactive police action have improved.
