KOCHI: Reflecting national trend, number of girls kidnapped for sexual abuse and begging is alarmingly high in Kerala, according to a report released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). Among 163 kids kidnapped from Kerala last year for sexual abuse and begging, 145 are girls.

The national count of children snatched away was 47,840 in 2016, of which 36,123 were girls. Last year 241 people were abducted from the state as against, 271 in 2015.

In total, 512 people were abducted in 2015 and 2016, out of which 367 were traced. Uttar Pradesh reported loss of 9,678 people, while in Maharashtra it was 8,260.

According to NCRB data, 305 people were murdered in Kerala last year. The toll in 2014 was 367. On the national level, the number of murders last year was 4,889. Bihar accounted for 2,581 while in Maharashtra the count was 2,299. Registered cases of atrocities against women in Kerala were 10,034 last year, as against 9,767 cases in 2015.

Victims of sexual abuse in Kerala are mostly women between 18 and 30. Of the 1,656 cases in which children were abused, relatives or acquaintances accounted for 1,627. Uttar Pradesh has the highest figure of 49,362 cases in the category of atrocities against women.

The report says that cyber cases are on the decline in Kerala. The figure dropped to 290 in 2016 from 450 cases in 2014. The police say complainants withdraw as the proceedings reach the stage of filing a case.

Online fraud cases were the highest in 2016, pegged at 114. Online maligning cases stood at 29. The NCRB data also shows that 758 senior citizens faced harassment in 2014. The toll fell to 571 in 2016. Uttar Pradesh seems kind to elders, recording only 621 cases in 2016. Maharashtra, however, tops the list with a whooping 4,561 cases.

Corruption cases are on the rise in Kerala. The state had reported 149 cases in 2014 and 377 in 2015, but in 2016 it soared to 430. The observation is that more people are coming forward to complain about corruption in government offices. Kerala has the third place in the corruption index. Maharashtra takes the first place with 1,016 cases while Odisha follows with 569.

In June this year, a man who allegedly abducted a 15-year-old girl from Kochi was arrested from Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh.