Guwahati

Increase in crime rates; 13,844 theft cases registered

Sentinel Digital Desk

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: From April 2016 to October 2019, an unfortunate rise in crime has been observed in the city. The 20 police stations under the Guwahati Police Commissionerate have have 13844 registered theft cases. The maximum number of theft cases are registered under Dispur police station which leaves much for speculation, as the area is one of the most highly monitored in the State. Violence can be curbed under swift police action alone and the rise in crime rate has raised many red flags among the citizens with increased distrust and chaos at large.

During the span, as per crime reports, along with 13844 theft cases, there were 29 dacoity cases, 2361 kidnapping cases, 169 dowry cases, 248 rape cases and 3646 cyber crime cases. It is indeed astounding that dowry intolerant Assam has had 169 registered dowry cases and these are only the ones that have been reported.

Cybercrime has witnessed a sudden spurt in the recent years. Assam has witnessed a sharp increase in cases of cybercrimes primarily due to easy access to the internet by criminals and negative use of social networking sites. The State has the highest number of cases registered under cybercrimes in the entire Northeast. Figures available with the Assam Police show that the number of cybercrime cases in Assam registered under the provisions of Information and Technology Act, 2000, leapfrogged from 379 in 2014 to 3,646 in the past four years. With the increasing number of crimes, is it safe to even be carefree after the padlock is placed on the door? Cases of loot and snatching are now an everyday affair and withdrawing money from banks and ATMs have become an extremely risky business. The city is shrouded in distrust with each passing day.