Sharp rise in cyber crime cases in states, metros; IPC registration dips

According to data released by the National Cime Records Bureau (NCRB), Ministry of Home Affairs, there has been a sharp increase in the number of cybercrime cases recorded in states as well as 19 metro cities.

The NCRB report shows that cybercrime has increased by 24.4 percent in states and Union Territories.

“A total of 65,893 cases were registered under cybercrime, representing a 24.4 percent increase in registration compared to 2021 (52,974 cases). The crime rate under this category increased from 3.9 in 2021 to 4.8 in 2022. In 2022, 64.8 percent of cybercrime -The registered crimes had a fraud motive (42,710 out of 65,893 cases), followed by extortion with 5, 5 percent (3,648 cases) and sexual exploitation by 5.2 percent (3,434 cases),” the report said.

Across the 19 metropolitan cities, there was also a large increase in the number of registered cases related to cybercrime, with an increase of 42.7 percent.

“A total of 24,420 cases have been registered under cybercrime, which shows an increase of 42.7 percent compared to 2021 (17,115 cases). The number of cybercrimes has increased from 15.0 in 2021 to 21.4 in 2022. Capital cases of crime show that Computer Related Offenses (Section 66 of the IT Act) (12,213 cases) constituted the highest number of cybercrimes, accounting for 50.0 percent by 2022,” the report said.

Bengaluru recorded the highest number of cybercimes among metropolitan cities (2020-2022) with 9940 cases recorded in 2022, with a registration rate of 22.6 percent. This was followed by Financial Capital Mumbai with 4,724 cases for the corresponding period and a rate of 16.6 percent. Hyderabad stood at 4,436 with a surcharge of 25.4 percent, while New Delhi recorded 685 with a surcharge of 89.3 percent during the same period.

The NCRB report also states that in states and universities, the number of violations against the state has increased by 8.6 percent.

“A total of 5,610 cases relating to criminal offenses against the state were registered in 2022, compared to 5,164 cases in the year 2021, showing an increase of 8.6 percent. Of the 5,610 cases, 78.5 percent of cases were registered under the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act (4,403 cases), followed by 1,005 (17.9 percent) cases under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act,” it said report.

However, according to the NCRB report, there has been a decline in the number of crimes registered under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Special and Local Laws (SLL).

A total of 58,24,946 cognizable crimes were registered in 2022, comprising 35,61,379 crimes under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and 22,63,567 crimes under Special and Local Laws (SLL). This shows a decline of 2,71,364 (4.5 percent) in registration of cases over 2021 (60,96,310 cases),” the report said.

“The registered crime rate per lakh population has fallen from 445.9 in 2021 to 422.2 in 2022. In 2022, the registration of cases under IPC and SLL crimes has increased by 2.8% and 7.0% respectively decreased,” the report adds.

In the 19 metropolitan cities – Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Coimbatore, Delhi, Ghaziabad, Hyderabad, Indore, Jaipur, Kanpur, Kochi, Kolkata, Kozhikode, Lucknow, Mumbai, Nagpur, Patna, Pune and Surat – the crimes recorded are 10 down .4 percent compared to 2021.

“In 2022, a total of 8,53,470 cognizable crimes were registered across 19 metropolitan cities, including 6,20,356 crimes under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and 2,33,114 crimes under Special and Local Laws (SLL), showing a decline of 10.4% compared to 2021. 9,52,273 cases),” the NCRB report said.

In these metros, the number of registered IPC crimes decreased by 1.7 percent in 2022 and the number of registered SLL crimes decreased by 27.4 percent in 2021. of 6,20,356 cases), followed by rash driving on public roads 10.5 percent (65,339 cases) and disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant (Sec 188 IPC) at 7.0 percent (43,733 cases) in 2022 ,” the report said.

The report further states that in 2022, a total of 32,28,322 persons were arrested under 35,61,379 cases of IPC crimes across the states and Union Territories. A total of 43,67,588 persons were charged, 10,55,181 persons were convicted, 9,81,194 persons were acquitted and 1,52,787 persons were discharged.

A total of 21,61,911 persons were arrested in 22,63,567 cases of SLL crimes. A total of 27,04,985 persons were charged, 14,16,858 persons were convicted, 3,69,789 persons were acquitted and 57,187 persons were discharged

A total of 4,37,761 persons were arrested under 6,20,356 IPC offenses in the 19 Metro cities. A total of 4,28,497 persons were charged, 1,30,015 persons were convicted, 73,723 persons were acquitted and 11,227 persons were discharged.

A total of 2,58,327 persons were arrested for 2,33,114 SLL crimes. A total of 2,79,104 persons were charged, 1,34,029 persons were convicted, 36,234 persons were acquitted and 3,876 persons were discharged.