Despite a fall in overall registered criminal cases, Delhi continued to record the highest number of violent and property crimes among India’s metro cities in 2024, according to the latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report released on Wednesday.
The Capital registered nearly 2.75 lakh criminal cases under the Indian Penal Code and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), marking a decline of around 15% from over 3.24 lakh cases recorded in 2023. The 2024 NCRB report is the first edition to include data under the BNS, which came into force on July 1 last year.
However, the drop in total crime did little to change Delhi’s standing among the country’s 19 metropolitan cities.
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According to NCRB data, Delhi recorded 504 murders in 2024, remaining far ahead of Bengaluru, which reported 176 cases, and Surat with 114. Personal enmity emerged as the leading motive behind murders in the city, followed by illicit relationships and robbery.
The capital also topped the list in kidnapping and abduction cases, reporting 5,580 incidents during the year. Mumbai recorded 1,854 such cases, while Bengaluru reported 1,215.
The report noted that girls between the ages of 12 and 18 accounted for the majority of kidnapping victims in Delhi. Only 8.5% of kidnapping cases in the city were chargesheeted.
Theft cases continue to dominate Delhi’s crime profile
Property crimes remained the biggest contributor to Delhi’s crime numbers.
As reported by Hindustan Times, Delhi recorded 1,80,973 theft cases in 2024, accounting for more than 73% of theft cases across all metro cities combined. The figure translates to nearly 500 theft cases every day.
Vehicle theft alone accounted for around 40,000 cases, while snatching incidents crossed 3,100.
Although robbery cases declined from 1,660 in 2023 to 1,510 in 2024, extortion cases saw an increase, rising from 207 to 228.
The NCRB report also highlighted the impact of the newly introduced BNS provisions on organised crime. Delhi registered 20 organised crime cases under Section 111 of the BNS in the six months following implementation — the highest among metro cities. Lucknow and Surat followed with nine cases each.
The city also recorded 180 cases of petty organised crime under Section 112 of the BNS.
Missing children cases remain a major concern
The report flagged concerns over missing children in the national capital.
A total of 10,843 children were listed as missing in Delhi by the end of 2024, including 5,491 fresh cases registered during the year. Girls accounted for over 7,600 of the missing children cases.
Delhi’s recovery rate for missing children stood at 62.4%, according to the NCRB data quoted by Hindustan Times.
Sanjay Gupta, director of child rights organisation CHETNA, told Hindustan Times that migration and lack of childcare support systems were major reasons behind the high number of missing children cases.
“While both parents go for work, the children are unattended. These are essentially street children with no safety net,” Gupta said.
He also raised concerns about how missing girls cases are sometimes treated by law enforcement.
“In many cases police treats them as cases of elopement. This attitude also needs to change,” he added.
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Overall, Delhi recorded 55,939 missing persons cases by the end of 2024, including adults. The recovery rate for all missing persons stood at 50.8%.
Cybercrime figures, meanwhile, remained largely unchanged, with Delhi recording 404 cybercrime cases in 2024.
First NCRB report under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita
The 2024 NCRB report marks the first comprehensive crime data release since the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita replaced the Indian Penal Code last year. The report includes new crime categories such as organised crime and petty organised crime, offering an early picture of how the new criminal law framework is being implemented across metro cities.
