The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report for 2024, released on Wednesday, revealed a general decline in crime across India's metropolitan cities and states, even as Mumbai recorded increases in total offences, crimes against women and children, and cybercrime. While traditional offences such as murder, robbery, and house break-ins decreased, concerns persisted over cybercrime and economic frauds.
Overall Crime Trends
According to the NCRB data, there was an 11% decline in offences across 19 metropolitan cities, with 8.4 lakh cases registered in 2024 compared to 9.4 lakh in 2023. Across states and Union Territories, cases declined by 5.7% during the same period. A senior IPS officer attributed the decline in major crimes to enhanced CCTV surveillance, GPS-based patrolling, and preventive action against repeat offenders. Another officer cited targeted drives, faster chargesheeting, and speedy trials as contributing factors.
Mumbai's Crime Statistics
In contrast to the national trend, Mumbai recorded a 7.1% rise in total crimes, with 70,054 cases in 2024 against 65,441 in 2023. The city registered an average of 191 crimes per day. It ranked second in total crimes among metropolitan cities, rising from fifth position in 2023, though it stood seventeenth in crime rate per lakh population. An officer suggested that the rise in crime in Mumbai could be a result of stricter policing and better registration of FIRs. He explained, "In that way, good policing in a city or a state can reflect in a spike in crime. But it doesn't necessarily mean that other cities are safer. It's how data are studied and factored in."
Declines in Major Offences
The report noted declines in major IPC offences such as murder, robbery, chain-snatching, attempted robbery, extortion, and house break-ins. In Mumbai, murder declined by 13% and robbery by 26.2%. However, crimes such as molestation, sexual harassment, rape, dowry deaths, and POCSO offences increased. Thefts rose by 23.8%, molestation by 10.8%, rape cases by 8%, and sexual harassment cases by 13.6%. Dowry murders increased from 20 to 22.
Crimes Against Vulnerable Groups
Crimes against women in Mumbai rose by 5.5%, while crimes against children increased by 8.5%. Crimes against senior citizens rose sharply by 52.7%, though juvenile crime declined by 11%. The detection rate in Mumbai stood at 74% in 2024, compared to 76% in 2023.
Cybercrime and Economic Frauds
Cybercrime in Mumbai rose by 22%, and cheating cases increased by 52.3%. However, credit/debit and online frauds declined by 22.7%, and fake social media and morphing cases fell by 17.5%. Experts noted that only a small fraction of cyber complaints are converted into FIRs, despite large volumes of complaints received annually by Mumbai and state police.
Comparative Analysis
Among cities, Kochi recorded the highest crime rate, followed by Delhi and Surat. Maharashtra ranked eighth among states in crime rate. The NCRB also observed that states such as Uttar Pradesh and Delhi have introduced online FIR registration for theft-related offences, which may affect reporting patterns and comparability across states. Across 19 metropolitan cities, 6.9 lakh people were arrested in 2024. Kolkata recorded the highest chargesheeting rate at 95.3%, followed by Kozhikode and Kochi.
Expert Opinions
Former DGP Praveen Dixit credited technology and policing reforms but stressed that "cybercrime and economic frauds need greater attention." The data underscores the need for continued focus on modern crime challenges while maintaining gains in traditional crime reduction.
