Bengaluru, India's technology hub, has witnessed at least one economic offence — including forgery, cheating, fraud, financial scams, and related white-collar crimes — every 2.5 hours over the past three years (2022, 2023, and 2024), according to available crime data. The city reported a total of 10,580 such cases during this period.
NCRB Data Highlights
The National Crime Records Bureau's (NCRB) Crime in India 2024 report reveals that Bengaluru recorded 3,477 economic offences in 2024 alone, placing it among the top five metropolitan cities in the country for such crimes. While this figure is slightly lower than the 3,858 cases in 2023, it is marginally higher than the 3,245 cases in 2022. The average of about 10 cases per day continued in the latest year, indicating that the fluctuation remains within expected trends based on past years' data.
In 2024, only Mumbai, Hyderabad, Jaipur, and Delhi reported higher totals. More revealing, however, is the nature of these offences. Of Bengaluru's 3,477 economic offences, 3,249 — more than 93% — fell under forgery, cheating, and fraud. This suggests that Bengaluru's urban crime profile is undergoing a structural shift: from physical theft and street crime to financial and digital deception.
Statewide Trends
The trend extends beyond Bengaluru. NCRB's statewise economic offences data shows Karnataka recorded 7,814 economic offences in 2024. Of these, 7,209 were categorised under forgery, cheating, and fraud. The state's economic offence rate stood at 11.4 cases per lakh population. The data indicates that cheating and fraud now dominate Karnataka's economic-crime landscape, mirroring trends seen in Bengaluru. The city's economic offence rate, meanwhile, stood at 40.9 cases per lakh population. However, the crime rate calculation is based on the 2011 Census population data.
Police Insights
Police officers attribute the rise to Bengaluru's large digital economy, heavy online banking usage, and active investment culture, which have created fertile ground for fake investment platforms, cryptocurrency scams, impersonation fraud, trading-app cheating, and loan-app extortion.
Legal System Under Pressure
The NCRB figures also show mounting pressure on the legal system. Bengaluru had 13,616 economic offence cases pending trial at the end of 2024. The conviction rate stood at just 5%, while pendency had crossed 95%. Police disposal was similarly weak. Bengaluru's chargesheet rate in economic offences stood at 49.1%. Officials say financial crime networks increasingly operate across states using mule bank accounts, temporary sim cards, and encrypted communication channels, making money recovery and prosecution difficult.
Conclusion
NCRB data suggests Bengaluru's biggest crime challenge is no longer confined to burglary or physical violence. The city is increasingly confronting a new form of urban crime — one built around deception, digital access, and financial manipulation. These figures do not include cybercrime cases, which are listed separately by NCRB.
