North-central Mumbai a den of crime: Praja Foundation

Mumbai: The last five years have seen the highest number of criminal cases being recorded in the north-central part of the city i.e. Vile Parle, Kurla and Bandra. Cases of riots, theft, molestation and rape have risen in that part of the city over the past five years; claimed a survey by NGO Praja Foundation.

When contacted, Deepak Deoraj, deputy commissioner of police (operations) and Mumbai police spokesperson, said, “Efforts are being made constantly to reduce crime in Mumbai and it is an ongoing process.”

As per data procured by the NGO, the highest number of rapes, i.e. 149 were reported in the north-central part of Mumbai.

Similarly, the highest number of thefts (1,896) took place in the same part of the city. However, when compared to last year’s figures, the number of thefts in north-central Mumbai plummeted from 1984 to 1896.

According to the survey, the break-up of the increase in crimes in north-central Mumbai (when compared to corresponding data of the previous two years) was as follows: molestation (15 per cent); rape (4 per cent); and the number of women feeling unsafe in the vicinity (24 per cent).

According to data from the annual report of the NGO on the state of law, order and policing in Mumbai, 72 per cent of all rape cases registered in 2016 involved minors as victims.

Further, a total 628 rape cases were registered in the city in 2016, out of which, 455 were registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. In comparison, in 2015, 448 out of 712 rape cases had minors as victims. As many as 15,867 crime cases were registered in police stations across the city from April 2016 to March 2017, the Praja report said.