City sees 4% increase in murders, overall criminal cases drop

New Delhi: Compared with last year, murders rose by 4% this year between Jan and June, according to Delhi Police, though the crime data for the period showed that overall, there was a decrease of 8.4% in criminal cases.

The data listed 250 murders in the current year, marking a slight increase compared with the 241 murders in the first six months of the previous year. A senior officer disclosed that the majority of this year's murders were unpremeditated, spur-of-the-moment actions, triggered by disputes, personal vendetta and longstanding enmity.

The data also showed that 1,29,693 criminal cases were reported in Jan-June 2024, including 2,543 heinous cases. This year, this figure decreased to 1,18,822, among them 2,209 heinous cases. As many as 386 cases of attempted murder were reported this year, whereas last year the number was 430. The statistics show 637 reported cases of robbery this year against 826 documented last year.

When examining cases related to rape and those registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, the data had 932 such cases this year compared with a higher 1,040 cases last year. "In most cases, we have come to know that the accused were known to the survivors," an officer said. In Pocso cases, survivors sometimes turned hostile because the accused were family members or known to them. "Because of social stigma, survivors often become hostile, making prosecution of the accused difficult," the officer added.

Last year, 968 cases of molestation and 176 of eve teasing were reported, whereas this year, the numbers have dropped, respectively, to 863 and 154. Snatching cases slid 25.9%, dropping from 3,381 in the first half of 2024 to 2,503 cases in the same period in 2025. Burglary cases also declined by 25.4%, falling from 4,271 to 3,186 in the period. There was also a reduction in motor vehicle thefts, from 18,626 cases last year to 17,512 cases, a decrease of 5.9%

Devesh Srivastava, special commissioner of police (Crime), said that several measures adopted had contributed to the decline in crime, including increased use of technology and enhanced surveillance of criminals. He claimed, "We have completely digitalised the records of criminals and use many analytical tools, providing a comprehensive platform for all our personnel to easily access detailed information on offenders on a 24x7 basis. Additionally, we have focused on the arrest of repeat and proclaimed offenders. Our efforts to engage and reach out to the public have also paid rich dividends. Enhanced CCTV coverage across the city has helped us a lot."