'Murders, rapes, abductions...': Andhra ranks 10th in overall crime rate

Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh ranks tenth in the overall crime rate in India. According to the latest Crime in India 2021 report released by National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), the state witnessed around a 5 percent decrease in cognizable offences under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in 2021 compared to the previous year.

AP has registered 1,79,611 crimes under IPC and 42,588 crimes under Special and Local Laws (SLL) in 2021. Overall, the state accounts for 4.9 percent of cognizable IPC offences in India.

The state also ranks tenth in terms of crime against women following a 3.8 percent increase in cases in 2021 compared to 2020. AP witnessed 17,752 crimes against women in 2021 while it was 17,089 in 2020. As many as 1,188 rape cases were reported in the state in 2021. Of the total 1,204 victims in the rape cases, 614 victims were below 18 years.

The state witnessed a slight increase in murder cases. A total of 956 murders were reported in 2021 while the number of murders in 2020 was 853. As per NCRB's data, disputes about property, family, petty issues, money, and water accounted for more murders in the state in 2021.

The crime against children also slightly increased in the state with 2,669 cases in 2021 when compared to 2,648 cases in 2020. The number of juveniles involved in crime also slightly increased in the state with 934 cases in 2021 when compared to 759 cases in 2020. Shockingly, the juveniles had been involved in 58 rapes and 27 murders in the state in 2021.

In 2021, Andhra Pradesh witnessed a series of cases related to crime against women and children. The leaders and activists of various political parties and women's organizations criticized the government citing the safety of women and children in the state.