NEW DELHI/SHIMLA/DEHRADUN: India recorded a 6 per cent decline in overall crime during 2024. But the latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report exposes a far more disturbing reality underneath the falling numbers.
Crimes against children are rising rapidly. Cyber fraud is exploding. Senior citizens are increasingly becoming targets. Conviction rates remain weak in several serious crimes.
And many states continue to struggle with poor investigations and delayed justice. As a result the incidents of student protests in many campuses are becoming routine.
According to NCRB’s “Crime in India 2024” report, the country registered 58,85,867 cognisable crimes during 2024. These included 35,44,608 IPC and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) cases and 23,41,259 Special and Local Laws (SLL) cases.
The total crime figure was down from 62,41,569 cases recorded in 2023. The national crime rate also declined from 448.3 per lakh population in 2023 to 418.9 in 2024.
But the relief largely ends there. The sharpest concern emerging from the NCRB data is the rise in crimes against children.
India recorded 1,87,702 crimes against children during 2024. This marked a rise of 5.9 per cent compared to 1,77,335 cases in 2023.
Kidnapping and abduction of children formed the largest category. Even peaceful cities like Shimla, where three BCS students were kidnapped last year are reporting crimes against children.
NCRB recorded 75,108 such cases, accounting for 40 per cent of all crimes against children.
Cases registered under the POCSO Act stood at 69,191. They accounted for another 36.9 per cent. The report also reveals that 98,375 children went missing across India during 2024. Among them were 75,603 girls, 22,768 boys and four transgender children.
The number of missing children rose by 7.8 per cent in just one year. The wider missing persons data is equally worrying. NCRB says 5,20,164 people went missing in India during 2024. Over 3.52 lakh of them were women.
While police traced more than 5.03 lakh missing persons, activists say the rising numbers point towards growing social vulnerability, trafficking risks and weak child protection systems.
In Uttarakhand, the NCRB figures have triggered fresh concern among social activists and policy experts.
SDC Foundation President Anoop Nautiyal said the steep rise in crimes against children in the hill state should act as a wake-up call for the government and law enforcement agencies.
“The rise in crimes against children in Uttarakhand is deeply worrying. Cases involving kidnapping, abuse and POCSO-related offences reflect increasing vulnerability among children. The NCRB data must be studied seriously and corrective action should follow immediately,” Nautiyal said.
He said the figures become even more concerning when viewed alongside weak investigation outcomes and low charge-sheeting rates in several states.
“Crime registration alone is not enough. Strong investigation, faster charge-sheeting and timely convictions are equally important. States like Kerala are showing that better policing systems can deliver stronger results,” he added.
Kerala has emerged as the best-performing state in the country in investigation efficiency.
NCRB data shows Kerala recorded the highest charge-sheeting rate under IPC and BNS crimes at 94.5 per cent. Puducherry followed with 91 per cent, while West Bengal recorded 90.6 per cent.
The national average charge-sheeting rate stood at 72.1 per cent.
Crime analysts say the Kerala model highlights the importance of digital policing, better documentation, quicker investigations and stronger coordination between police and prosecution agencies.
The contrast becomes sharper in several northern and Himalayan states where cases often drag on for years.
The NCRB report also reveals troubling weaknesses in India’s conviction system.
The conviction rate in rape cases stood at just 24.4 per cent during 2024.
In kidnapping and abduction cases, the conviction rate was only 26.8 per cent.
Rioting cases saw convictions in less than 20 per cent of completed trials.
Crimes against women also remained alarmingly high.
India recorded 4,41,534 crimes against women during 2024. Cruelty by husband or relatives accounted for the largest share with 1,20,227 cases.
Kidnapping and abduction of women accounted for 67,829 cases. Assault on women with intent to outrage modesty recorded 48,303 cases.
Cybercrime emerged as one of the fastest-growing offences in the country.
NCRB recorded 1,01,928 cybercrime cases during 2024. This was a sharp rise of 17.9 per cent over 2023.
Fraud accounted for nearly 73 per cent of all cybercrime cases.
Crime against senior citizens also rose sharply. India recorded 32,602 crimes against elderly citizens during 2024, marking an increase of 16.9 per cent over the previous year.
Theft, cheating and fraud emerged as the most common offences against senior citizens. The report further reveals that juvenile crime is also rising.
Cases involving juveniles in conflict with law increased by 11.2 per cent during 2024. More than 42,000 juveniles were apprehended during the year. Nearly 78 per cent belonged to the 16-18 years age group.
Human trafficking remains another hidden crisis. NCRB recorded 2,135 trafficking cases during 2024. More than 6,000 victims were trafficked, including 2,297 children.
Even as overall crime numbers decline statistically, the NCRB report paints a picture of a criminal justice system under pressure.
Experts say the data should push governments beyond headline crime figures and force deeper reforms in policing, prosecution and child protection systems.
For many observers, the message from NCRB 2024 is now unmistakable.
A falling crime graph means little if children continue disappearing, cyber fraud keeps rising and victims fail to get justice in time.
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