Grave crimes go up in Kochi

KOCHI: It’s not just COVID-19 that Kochi has to worry about. While the state’s business capital witnessed several development initiatives in 2019, it also saw a spurt in the number of grave crimes, including murder, kidnapping and rape.

As per the data with the Kochi City police, there were 80 per cent more murders, 70 per cent more kidnappings and 10 per cent more rapes last year than 2018. According to police officials, what made matters worse was the involvement of youngsters in the crimes. Here are the numbers. As many as 22 murders were reported within the Kochi City police limits in 2019, in comparison to 12 in 2018 and 11 in 2017.

Of the 22 were some that left society shell-shocked, like the murder of a 17-year-old girl who was set ablaze by her lover at Kakkanad, that of the migrant labourer who was killed near the KSRTC bus station here, the murder of a 48-year-old housewife of Udayamperoor who was killed by her husband and his lover as well as the killing of a 20-year-old by a five-member group, including a minor, at Panangad.

While City Police Commissioner Vijay Shakare could not be reached for comments despite repeated attempts, another top-ranking police officer in Kochi told TNIE that crimes reported within the Kochi City police limits were rising with each passing year. However, their number was lower than the ones reported in other police limits in the state.

“An alarming trend we are seeing is the involvement of youngsters in the crimes. There were several murder cases in which persons aged between 20 and 30 were involved. The police were able to identify and arrest all the persons involved in the murders last year,” said the officer.

Abductions
As many as 21 abduction cases, the highest since 2012, were reported in Kochi in 2019, compared to 13 in 2018 and 19 in 2017. Of the 21, nine were related to the abduction of women, while in 12, men were kidnapped.

Rapes and Pocso cases
Women were also not safe last year, with 94 rapes reported in the city. This too was highest since 2012. In 2018 and 2017, 84 and 85 rapes, respectively, were reported. Besides, 115 cases were registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act, compared to 114 in 2018 and 93 in 2017. Other crimes against children rose to 154 in 2019, than 140 in 2018 and 83 in 2017.

Situation dire in rural areas too
Kochi: Murders, abductions and other grave crimes witnessed a rise within the rural police limits too last year.  In 2019, 30 murder cases, the highest since 2009, were registered within the rural police limits last year, against 16 in 2018. While the number of rape cases came down from 132 in 2018 to 126 in 2019, the number of abduction cases rose to 37 in 2019 from 22 in 2018. The number of Pocso cases also rose to 225 in 2019 from 155 in 2018. Besides, 293 cases related to other crimes against children were registered last year, compared to 203 in 2018.