Number of juveniles involved in rape cases rising over the years

NEW DELHI: One of the accused involved in the horrific gang rape case on December 16, 2012, was a juvenile, who was apprehended and sent to a correction home.

Since that gruesome incident, over 8,000 juveniles have been apprehended by police across the country for involvement in rape cases, suggests data of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) collected between 2013 and 2016.

As per the data, in 2013, as many as 2,074 juveniles were apprehended in rape cases.

The number rose to 2,144 juveniles in 2014, while 2015 saw 1,841 juveniles being nabbed for their involvement in rape cases. Last year, 2,054 juveniles were apprehended.

All these juveniles were aged between 12 and 18, and included both boys and girls.

In 2013, around 50 juveniles accused in rape cases were found to be in the 7-12 age group, while 636 juveniles were in the 12-16 age group. 1,388 juvenile accused in 2013 were in between 16 and 18.

In 2014, around 23 juveniles nabbed in rape cases were below 12, while 633 juveniles were between 12 and 16 years. The number of juveniles nabbed between the ages of 16 and 18 in rape cases was 1,488.

In 2015, as many as 14 apprehended juveniles were below 12 years. In the age group of 12-16, around 490 juveniles were apprehended and 1,337 juveniles were in the age group of 16 to 18 years.

2016 saw apprehension of 29 minors below the age of 12, while 464 apprehended juveniles were between 12 and 16. Finally, in the 16 to 18 age group, around 1,561 juveniles were apprehended.

Data released by NCRB about crime in metropolitan cities for 2016 shows that the highest number of cases of juveniles in conflict with the law were reported from Delhi (35.6 per cent), followed by Mumbai (14.2 per cent) and Pune (11.3 per cent) .

A total of 9,341 juveniles were apprehended in 6,645 cases, of which 8,971 juveniles were apprehended under Indian Penal Code cases.

370 juveniles were apprehended in cases falling under Special and Local Laws in 2016.

A majority of juveniles in conflict with law apprehended in 2016 under IPC and SLL crimes were in the age group of 16 to 18 years (73.7 per cent), i.e. 6,881 out of 9,341.