Down from '19 but Delhi still the metro with most murders in '20

New Delhi: Even as overall crime in Delhi last year saw a 15 per cent decline from 2019, most likely owing to the pandemic and the lockdown, the Capital remained at the top position among other metro cities in its population category for heinous crimes such as murder, culpable homicides, kidnappings and dowry deaths.

According to the latest crime data released by the National Crime Records Bureau, as many as 262,443 IPC cases were lodged in 2020, 48,649 less than the cases recorded in 2019.

And despite seeing a dip of nearly 9 per cent in the pandemic year, compared to the year before, murder cases in the Capital were the highest (461) among 19 other cities in its category.

Significantly, the NCRB data noted that Delhi had recorded the most number of murders arising out of communal or religious reasons in its category in 2020 - most likely owing to the north-east Delhi riots in February, which killed at least 53 people, according to the official death toll. Around 65 murders from last year were a result of personal vendetta or enmity, the data showed.

Delhi also topped its category in cases of offences against public tranquility at 865 reported cases - again most likely owing to the riots.

In other violent crimes that Delhi topped its category in, are cases of culpable homicide not amounting to murder (Section 304 of IPC) — 57 cases. Delhi also accounted for the highest dowry deaths in its category with 109 such cases reported.

In the category of grievous hurt, Delhi recorded the second-highest number among other cities, with a total of 406 such cases being registered, below Mumbai. Attempt to murder cases also ranked second-highest with 564 recorded cases.

Kidnapping and abduction cases too were the highest in the Capital with 4,011 lodged cases while hit and run incidents went up to 514 such cases in 2020, the highest among other cities.

Importantly, even as overall crime reduced in the Capital in the pandemic year, cases of disobedience of order duly promulgated by a public servant shot up by 273 per cent — primarily due to the large number of Covid violations prosecuted during the year. Data showed nearly 32,000 such cases were registered in 2020 compared to around 8,500 in 2019.

Meanwhile, cases of petty crime also kept with the downward trend of other crime categories, recording 3,641 cases of burglaries and robberies in 2020, compared to 3,957 in 2019.

Moreover, theft cases also declined, with around 1.7 lakh such cases, including auto thefts, were reported in 2020 compared to 288,483 the previous year.