“Crime in India exists in various forms.

Crime over time

The report noted that burglary (known as house-breaking[2] in India) declined over a
period of 53 years by 79.84% (from 147,379, a rate of 39.3/100,000 in 1953 to
91,666, a rate of 7.9/100,000 in 2006).
Murder has increased by 7.39% (from 9,803, a rate of 2.61 in 1953 to 32,481, a rate
of 2.81/100,000 in 2006).[3]

Kidnapping has increased by 47.80% (from 5,261, a rate of 1.40/100,000 in 1953 to

23,991, a rate of 2.07/100,000 in 2006).

Robbery has declined by 28.85% (from 8,407, rate of 2.24/100,000 in 1953 to

18,456, rate of 18,456 in 2006) and riots have declined by 10.58% (from 20,529, a
rate of 5.47/100,000 in 1953 to 56,641, a rate of 4.90/100,000 in 2006).[3]

In 2006, 5,102,460 cognisable crimes were committed including 1,878,293 Indian

Penal Code (IPC) crimes and 3,224,167 Special & Local Laws (SLL) crimes, with an
increase of 1.5% over 2005 (50,26,337).[4]
IPC crime rate in 2006 was 167.7 compared to 165.3 in 2005 showing an increase of
1.5% in 2006 over 2005.[4]
SLL crime rate in 2006 was 287.9 compared to 290.5 in 2005 showing a decline of
0.9% in 2006 over 2005.[4]

SOURCE: National Crime Records Bureau[3]

Crime by locale
Location has a significant impact on crime in India.

In 2012, Kerala reported the highest cognisable crime rate of 455.8 among States of
India.[5][6][7]

Nagaland recorded lowest rates (47.7).

The rates were calculated by National Crime Records Bureau as the number of
incidents per 100,000 of the population.

In 2006, the highest crime rate was reported in Puducherry (447.7) for crimes under
Indian Penal Code which is 2.7 times the national crime rate of 167.7.[4]

Kerala reported the highest crime rate at 312.5 amongst all the states of India. [4]

State/UT 2011 2012

India 2.8
Kerala 1.1 1.1
Jammu & Kashmir 1.3 1.0
Uttarakhand 1.8 2.1
Gujarat 1.9 1.9
Himachal Pradesh 1.9 1.6
Rajasthan 2.1 2.1
Nagaland 2.3 3.3
Sikkim 2.3 1.1
West Bengal 2.3 2.5
Mizoram 2.4 2.9
 State/UT 2011 2012
Maharashtra 2.5 2.4
Tamil Nadu 2.6 2.9
Manipur 2.9 3.3
Meghalaya 2.9 5.1
Karnataka 3.0 3.1
Punjab 3.0 3.0
Andhra Pradesh 3.1 3.6
Bihar 3.3 3.2
Goa 3.3 2.5
Madhya Pradesh 3.5 3.2
Odisha 3.5 3.8
Assam 4.2 4.4
Haryana 4.2 3.8
Chhattisgarh 4.3 4.0
Tripura 4.4 3.4
Arunachal Pradesh 4.7 5.8
Jharkhand 5.3 5.3
Uttar Pradesh 7.5 7.4
Delhi 10 5

Sources.[10][11][12]

Megacities

Kolkata (71.0) and Madurai (206.2) were the only two mega cities which reported
less crime rate than their domain states West Bengal (79.0) and Tamil Nadu
(227.6).[4]

Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore have accounted for 16.2%, 9.5% and 8.1%
respectively of the total IPC crimes reported from 35 mega cities.[4]

Indore reported the highest crime rate (769.1) among the mega cities in India
followed by Bhopal (719.5) and Jaipur (597.1).[4]

Violent Crimes

Jammu and Kashmir (33.7%), Manipur (33.0%), Assam (30.4%) and Daman and Diu
and Puducherry (29.4%) reported higher violent crime rate compared to 18.4% at
national level.[4]

Uttar Pradesh reported the highest incidence of violent crimes accounting for 12.1%
of total violent crimes in India (40,613 out of 3,305,901)

Maharashtra with 11.1% (30,290 out of 3,305,901) was the second.[8]

Rape Cases

Among 35 mega cities, Delhi reported 31.2% (533 out of 1,706) of total rape cases. [4]

Madhya Pradesh has reported the highest number of rape cases (2,900) accounting
for 15.0% of total such cases reported in the country.[4]

Murders

Uttar Pradesh reported 10% (5,480 out of 32,481) of total murder cases in the
country and 18.4% (4,997 out of 27,230) total attempt to murder cases. [4]

As of 2016 Uttar Pradesh had a lower crime rate when solely considering crimes
punished under the IPC.

But because of the large number of offenses being prosecuted under its local laws
and special laws, its overall crime rate, 1,293, is ten times the size of its IPC crime
rate.[9][irrelevant citation]

Crimes against women

Main article: Violence against women in India
The map shows the comparative rate of violence against women in Indian states and
union territories in 2012. Crime rate data per 100,000 women in this map is the
broadest definition of crime against women under Indian law. It includes rape, sexual
assault, insult to modesty, kidnapping, abduction, cruelty by intimate partner or
relatives, trafficking, persecution for dowry, dowry deaths, indecency, and all other
crimes listed in Indian Penal Code.[14][15]

Rape
Main article: Rape in India
Rape in India has been described by Radha Kumar as one of India's most common
crimes against women.[16]

Official sources show that rape cases in India has doubled between 1990 and
2008[17]

In most of the rape cases, the culprit is known to the victim.

According to National Crime Records Bureau data of 2012,[18] Gujarat has the lowest
rape rate (0.8) .

Mizoram had the highest rape rate with a value of 10.1.

The National Average was at 2.1.

The rates were calculated by National Crime Records Bureau as the number of
incidents per 100,000 of the population

Dowry
Main article: Dowry system in India

In 2012, 8,233 dowry death cases were reported across India. [24] Dowry issues
caused 1.4 deaths per year per 100,000 women in India.[25][26]

However a number of crimes classified as due to "dowry" may be falsely attributed

as a result of the draconian anti-dowry law.[27]

Female infanticides and sex selective abortions

Main articles: Female foeticide in India and Sex-selective abortion

India has a highly masculine sex ratio, the chief reason being that many women die
before reaching adulthood.[13] Tribal societies in India have a less masculine sex
ratio than all other caste groups. This, in spite of the fact that tribal communities have
far lower levels of income, literacy and health facilities.[13] It is therefore suggested by
many experts, that the highly masculine sex ratio in India can be attributed to female
infanticides and sex-selective abortions.

Domestic violence
Further information: Domestic violence in India

Domestic violence in India is endemic.[28] Around 70% of women in India are victims
of domestic violence, according to Renuka Chowdhury, former Union minister for
Women and Child Development.[29]

The National Crime Records Bureau reveal that a crime against a woman is
committed every three minutes, a woman is raped every 29 minutes, a dowry death
occurs every 77 minutes, and one case of cruelty committed by either the husband
or relative of the husband occurs every nine minutes.[30]
 This occurs despite the fact that women in India are legally protected from domestic
abuse under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act.[30]

Organised crime

Further information: Organised crime in India

Illegal drug trade

India is located between two major illicit opium producing centres in Asia – the
Golden Crescent comprising Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran and the Golden Triangle
comprising Burma, Thailand and Laos.[31] Because of such geographical location,
India experiences large amount of drug trafficking through the borders. [32]

India is the world's largest producer of licit opium for the pharmaceutical trade.[33]

But an undetermined quantity of opium is diverted to illicit international drug

markets.[33]

India is a transhipment point for heroin from Southwest Asian countries like
Afghanistan and Pakistan and from Southeast Asian countries like Burma, Laos, and
Thailand.[34]

Heroin is smuggled from Pakistan and Burma, with some quantities transshipped
through Nepal.[34]

Most heroin shipped from India are destined for Europe.[34] There have been reports
of heroin smuggled from Mumbai to Nigeria for further export.[34]

In Maharashtra, Mumbai is an important centre for distribution of drug.[35]

The most commonly used drug in Mumbai is Indian heroin (called desi mal by the
local population).[35]

Both public transportation (road and rail transportation) and private transportation are
used for this drug trade.[35]

Drug trafficking affects the country in many ways.

 Drug abuse: Cultivation of illicit narcotic substances and drug trafficking

affects the health of the individuals and destroy the economic structure of the
family and society.[36][37]
 Organised crime: Drug trafficking results in growth of organised crime which
affects social security. Organised crime connects drug trafficking with
corruption and money laundering.[37]
 Political instability: Drug trafficking also aggravates the political instability in
North-West and North-East India.[38]

A survey conducted in 2003–2004 by Narcotics Control Bureau found that India has
at least four million drug addicts.[39]
The most common drugs used in India are cannabis, hashish, opium and heroin.[39]

In 2006 alone, India's law enforcing agencies recovered 230 kg heroin and 203 kg of
cocaine.[40]

In an annual government report in 2007, the United States named India among 20
major hubs for trafficking of illegal drugs along with Pakistan, Afghanistan and
Burma. However, studies reveal that most of the criminals caught in this crime are
either Nigerian or US nationals.[41]

Arms trafficking

According to a joint report published by Oxfam, Amnesty International and the

International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA) in 2006, there are around 40
million illegal small arms in India out of approximately 75 million in worldwide
circulation.[44]

Majority of the illegal small arms make its way into the states of Bihar, Chhattisgarh,
Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Orissa and Madhya Pradesh.[44]

In UP, a used AK-47 costs $3,800 in black market.[45]

Large amount of illegal small arms are manufactured in various illegal arms factories
in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and sold on the black market for as little as $5.08.[44]

Chinese pistols are in demand in the illegal small arms market in India because they
are easily available and cheaper.[44] This trend poses a significant problem for the
states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Maharashtra, West
Bengal, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh which have influence of Naxalism.[44]

The porous Indo-Nepal border is an entry point for Chinese pistols, AK-47 and M-16
rifles into India as these arms are used by the Naxalites who have ties to Maoists in
Nepal.[44]

In North-East India, there is a huge influx of small arms due to the insurgent groups
operating there.[46]

The small arms in North-East India come from insurgent groups in Burma, black
markets in Southeast Asia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka, black
market in Cambodia, the People's Republic of China, insurgent groups like the
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, the Communist Party of India (Maoist), the
Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), Indian states like Uttar Pradesh and pilferages
from legal gun factories, criminal organisations operating in India and South Asian
countries and other international markets like Romania, Germany etc.[46]

Illegal weaponry found in North-East India includes small arms such as the M14,
M16, AK-47, AK-56, and the AK-74, but also light machine guns, Chinese hand
grenades, mines, rocket-propelled grenade launchers and submachine guns etc.[46]
Poaching and wildlife trafficking

According to a report published by the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) in

2004, India is the chief target for the traders of wildlife skin.[48]

Between 1994 and 2003, there have been 784 cases where the skins of tiger,
leopard or otter have been seized.[48]

Leopards, rhinoceros, reptiles, birds, insects, rare species of plants are being
smuggled into the countries in Southeast Asia and the People's Republic of China. [47]

Between 1994 and 2003, poaching and seizure of 698 otters have been documented
in India.[48]

Kathmandu is a key staging point for illegal skins smuggled from India bound for
Tibet and PRC.[48] The report by EIA noted there has been a lack of cross-border
cooperation between India, Nepal and the People's Republic of China to coordinate
enforcement operations and lack of political will to treat wildlife crime effectively. [48]
The poaching of the elephants is a significant problem in Southern India[49] and in the
North-Eastern states of Nagaland and Mizoram.[50] The majority of tiger poaching
happen in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Orissa, West Bengal, Assam and
Arunachal Pradesh.[51]

Cyber crime

Main article: Cybercrime in India

The Information Technology Act 2000 was passed by the Parliament of India in May
2000, aiming to curb cyber crimes and provide a legal framework for e-commerce
transactions.[54] However Pavan Duggal, lawyer of Supreme Court of India and cyber
law expert, viewed "The IT Act, 2000, is primarily meant to be a legislation to
promote e-commerce. It is not very effective in dealing with several emerging cyber
crimes like cyber harassment, defamation, stalking and so on". Although cyber crime
cells have been set up in major cities, Duggal noted the problem is that most cases
remain unreported due to a lack of awareness.[55]

Corruption and police misconduct

Main article: Corruption in India

In India, corruption takes the form of bribes, evasion of tax and exchange controls,
embezzlement, etc.

Other crimes
Petty crime

Petty crime, like pickpocketing, theft of valuables from luggage on trains and buses
have been reported. Travelers who are not in groups become easy victims of
pickpockets and purse snatchers. Purse snatchers work in crowded areas.[64]

Confidence tricks

Many scams are perpetrated against foreign travellers, especially in Jaipur, the
capital of Rajasthan.[65]

Scammers usually target younger foreign tourists and suggest to them that money
can be made by privately transporting gems or gold, or by taking delivery abroad of
expensive carpets, avoiding customs duties.[65]

Taxi scam

There are also taxi scams present in India, whereby a foreign traveller, who is not
aware of the locations around Indian airports, is taken for a ride round the whole
airport and charged for full-fare taxi ride while the terminal is only few hundred yards
away.[64]

Overseas Security Advisory Council in a report mentioned the process about how to
avoid taxi-scam.

This crime is known in other areas of the world as "long-hauling".[64]

Crimes against men

Recently it's been noticed that married women killing their husbands along with
another man with whom they had extra-marital affair.[66][67][68][69]