Context:
The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) released its Crime in India 2023 report on September 30, 2025, which showed a 7.2% overall increase in registered cognizable crimes compared to 2022. The report highlighted significant surges in cybercrimes, economic offences, and crimes against vulnerable sections of society, while traditional violent crimes saw a decline.
Key findings from the report
· Total cases: A total of 6.24 million cognizable crimes were recorded in 2023, up from 5.82 million in 2022. This translates to a crime occurring every 5 seconds.
· Shifting crime patterns: The report noted a shift away from traditional violent crimes toward technology-driven and urban offences.
· Metropolitan areas: Crime in 19 major metropolitan cities rose by 10.6% over 2022.
2. Trends in specific crimes:
· Cybercrime: Cybercrime cases surged by 31.2%, with 86,420 cases reported in 2023.
o Leading motives: The primary motive was fraud (68.9%), followed by sexual exploitation and extortion.
· Crimes against women: There was a marginal increase of 0.7% in crimes against women, totaling 448,211 cases.
o Primary offences: The most frequently reported offences were cruelty by a husband or relatives, kidnapping, and assault with intent to outrage modesty. In 97.5% of rape cases, the perpetrator was known to the victim.
· Crimes against children: A 9.2% rise was recorded, with 177,335 cases. Kidnapping and abduction (45%) and cases under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act (38.2%) were the main drivers.
· Crimes against Scheduled Tribes (STs): Cases saw a significant spike of 28.8%, rising to 12,960 cases.
o Ethnic violence: The dramatic increase was largely attributed to ethnic conflicts in states like Manipur.
· Crimes against Scheduled Castes (SCs): These crimes showed a marginal increase of 0.4%.
· Murders and abductions: Murder cases declined by 2.8%, but cases of kidnapping and abduction rose by 5.6%.
· Economic offences: These crimes increased by 6%, reaching 204,973 cases.
o Leading categories: The majority of cases involved forgery, cheating, and fraud.
3. State-specific data:
· Crime rates: Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh registered the highest number of cases in absolute terms. However, states like Kerala and Delhi had the highest crime rates per lakh population.
· High-volume states (cybercrime): Karnataka, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh reported the most cybercrime cases.
· High-volume states (crimes against women): Uttar Pradesh, followed by Maharashtra and Rajasthan, registered the highest number of cases.
· High-volume states (crimes against children): Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh accounted for the majority of cases.
The NCRB's 2023 report underscores the need for reforms in India's policing and justice system to address the evolving nature of crime, particularly in the digital space. The data points to increasing digital vulnerabilities and systemic challenges in prosecuting cybercrimes, highlighted by low chargesheeting rates in high-incidence states. With the adoption of the new criminal codes, future reports will reflect a new framework for classifying and tracking criminal offences.
