Mumbai: Murder, theft and cybercrime jump in May

MUMBAI: Serious crimes like murder, assault, molestation and theft have surged in May after a lull in April, data with Mumbai police show. Cybercrime also witnessed a 58% surge during the same period. Overall crime during the lockdown months of March (announced on the 24th), April and May, though, are expectedly less, by 15%, than in the corresponding period last year.
If lockdown frustration seems to be the reason for a spurt in body crimes last month, according to lawyers and police officers, thieves appear to have taken advantage of a police force stretched by Covid duty.

Confinement in small spaces due to the lockdown and constrained social interactions have fuelled an increase in body crimes in the city. “Family discord has increased, so violent crimes within families are also being witnessed,” said former IPS officer YP Singh.
Assault cases rose by 88% from 134 in April to 252 in May. “With incomes drying up and no new work opportunities, some could have turned to theft,” an expert said. Theft surged by 50% and vehicle theft by 88% in May over April. “Cops have been working with inadequate resources and tied up with lockdown enforcement, patrolling in containment zones and crowd management. Regular street patrolling has been replaced by checks at fixed points due to a manpower crunch," said Singh. In some instances, undertrials released from prison on account of Covid-19 have also been resorting to crime.
Women's rights activists said police stations were less accessible during the lockdown for registration of complaints, which could explain why cases have surged in May compared to April. For instance, molestation offences rose by 55%. "Over 20 organisations working in the sphere of domestic violence and sexual violence put together a letter for the police force that while they were understandably caught up on the frontline, core duties could not be ignored. Registration of FIRs or non-cognisable complaints was tougher in April and response from the '103' helpline for women was also slower," said lawyer Flavia Agnes of the NGO Majlis.
The cyber police have been largely coming across instances of fake news and hate speech online and have been clamping down on it. From 69 cybercrimes in April, the number rose to 109 cases in May. "There has been an uptick in cases of sextortion, cyberbullying, digital wallet KYC fraud and helpline listing fraud," said cybersecurity expert Ritesh Bhatia. "Phishing websites offering mega deals in gadgets have also increased as have vishing scams where fraudsters convince their targets to part with their card information," he said.