Despite tall claims, crimes against women on the rise in Hyderabad: Data

Hyderabad: For all the hoopla over the intention to provide better security for women and make their life more secure, a sordid reality is that there has been no significant change in the number of crimes committed against women in Hyderabad Commissionerate in the year that is coming to a close. They continue to be victims of various offences. Sadly, there is a marked increase compared to the figures of last year.

Available statistics show that there as against 2,286 cases reported in 2018, this year it is at a worrying 2,305, making a ridicule of the State Government’s oft-repeated claim of Hyderabad being ‘a safe city for women’.

Cases registered under ‘outraging the modesty of women’ have also seen a significant 21% increase while that of dowry deaths in Hyderabad alone have increased by 11%. Though rape cases have reduced to 150 as against 178 cases registered in 2018, the rape cases registered in Bharosa has seen a significant increase. Bharosa, the one-stop centre for redressal of various problems faced by women and children, received 110 cases while it 70 last year.

POCSO cases also increased from 305 to 329. Similarly, SHE Team received 144 more cases in 2019. Of the 1,286 cases received by the SHE team, 118 were registered and 116 e-petty cases were booked.

Meanwhile, citing the 16% reduction in rapes, Shikha Goel, Additional Commissioner of Police, Hyderabad City (Crimes & SIT) said “In 2019, the Cyberabad Commissionerate focussed more on conviction. A higher conviction rate can instill fear among criminals. This year we had 61 convictions. Out of 150 cases registered, charge-sheet has been filed in 119 cases," she pointed out.

Out of the 150 cases registered, only in four cases the accused was a stranger to the victim. Around 11 rape cases registered this year were with false promise of marriage. While in six cases it was the father who was the accused, in 18 cases it was relatives and in 33 cases immediate neighbours who were found guilty. In 78 cases minors were raped after false hopes of love.

The officer also said Hyderabad today has 3,31,938 CCTV cameras which can be an attributing factor to the reduction of overall crime rate in the city. Police said the use of Preventive Detention (PD) Act against repeat offenders is also a deterrent factor.

The total number of cases registered in 2019 was 15,598 as against 16,084 in 2018, implying a three percent reduction in the overall crime rate.