Vizag among safest cities in India for women in 2025; crime down by 11.78%, says police chief Bagchi

Visakhapatnam: Vizag has been adjudged as one of the safest cities in India for women in 2025, with overall crime in the city declining by 11.78 per cent, said City Police Commissioner Shanka Brata Bagchi.

Increase in murders, decrease in drug trafficking cases

Releasing the annual police performance report for 2025 on Tuesday, the Commissioner said there was a notable reduction in crimes related to women’s safety, drug trafficking, road accidents, property offences and other categories.

However, he noted an increase in cases of murder, murder for gain and culpable homicide.

According to the police, the primary motives behind murders during the year were illegal relationships, petty quarrels and family disputes.

Crime against women and children in numbers

A total of 195 cases of crime against women were reported in 2025, a significant decline from 1,216 cases in 2024.

However, specific categories showed an increase, including dowry deaths (up by 2 per cent), murders of women (up by 16.67 per cent) and cheating and domestic violence cases (up by 43.75 per cent).

Crimes against children, including rape, kidnapping, molestation and POCSO cases, also declined, with 75 cases registered in 2025 compared to 131 in the previous year.

Cases of missing women remained high, with 438 cases reported during the year.

Of the 1,257 missing persons traced and cases finalised in 2025, 972 pertained to the current year and 285 were from previous years. As many as 79 missing cases were detected on the same day without registration of FIRs.

Among 134 missing children traced in 2025, six were located using RFID tagging during festivals and major events, accounting for 4.47 per cent of cases being traced immediately.

The role of surveillance and technology in protecting citizens

A total of 13,284 CCTV cameras were installed across Visakhapatnam through a community initiative launched by the district police over the past year, the highest number in any district of Andhra Pradesh.

The commissioner announced that an AI-driven traffic management system and criminal identification system, integrated with ANPR and facial recognition cameras and automatic e-challan facilities, will be launched in the city on April 1, 2026.

How are the road safety numbers?

Road accidents in the city showed a gradual decline, with 1,086 cases reported in 2025, compared to 1,132 in 2024 and 1,182 in 2023.

During the year, 333 fatal and 753 non-fatal accidents were recorded, resulting in 349 deaths and injuries to 1,038 persons. The highest number of accidents occurred on National Highway-16, followed by the BRTS road.

Fight against ganja and drugs

As part of the anti-drug drive, police seized 10,147.590 kg of ganja, 19.310 litres of hashish oil and 1 kg of opium in 2025.

In 529 ganja cases and four hashish oil cases registered in the city, the total value of seized contraband was estimated at Rs 5.21 crore.

Police also filed 40 petitions in various courts seeking permission to interrogate NDPS accused lodged in central jails to identify kingpins, obtaining 12 court orders. Joint operations were conducted with GRP and RPF to detect drug trafficking through trains, while meetings were held with parcel and courier service operators to prevent drug transport.

Buses entering the city from Odisha were checked regularly, and 15 drones were deployed daily to monitor ganja-related activities in remote areas. Decoy teams were deployed at schools, colleges and known drug hotspots, while check posts, lurking check posts and nine narcotic sniffer dogs were used daily.

Arrests and recoveries in cybercrime cases

Cybercrime remained a major focus area in 2025.

The city police arrested 205 fraudsters over the year and recovered Rs 14.64 crore, which was refunded to victims. This marked a sharp rise compared to Rs 3.89 crore recovered in 2024.

The Commissioner said Rs 14,64,92,382 was refunded to 1,020 cybercrime victims, the highest amount refunded in a single year by any district in Andhra Pradesh.

To strengthen cybercrime policing, the city police conducted a special Home Guard recruitment drive for candidates with IT and technical skills, recruiting 12 Home Guards who were deployed in the Cyber Crime Police Station.

Initiatives such as identifying mule accounts, organising banker coordination meetings to speed up refunds of frozen amounts, holding awareness campaigns and conducting the first-ever cybercrime refund mela were also highlighted.

Police have continued to spread awareness, urging citizens to treat every unknown caller as a potential cyber criminal and remain vigilant.