Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The crime rate across the state declined by 0.41 percent in 2023, which was 21.4 percent in 2022, senior officials at the police headquarters (PHQ) said. In 2023, the police came down heavily on land mafia, mining mafia, chit fund mafia and people carrying illegal arms. Heinous crimes such as murders and burglaries saw a decline too. The data provided by the senior PHQ officials revealed that as many as 1,565 cases were registered against the mining mafia and 1,007 were sent behind the bars.
Additionally, the police registered 42 FIRs against chit fund companies throughout the year, under which 88 accused were arrested and the investors were reimbursed a total of Rs 2.54 crore. The data further revealed that heinous crimes such as murders witnessed a 10.90% dip, while attempt to murder came down by 10.24%, followed by burglaries, which dipped by 26.8%. The cases registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act saw a 13.93% decline, while cases under the Atrocity Act came down by 13.81%.
Apart from this, the police persevered in their efforts to clamp down on intoxication and drug abuse. A total of 1.35 lakh criminals running illicit liquor business were arrested across the state. As many as 29 such criminals were booked under the National Security Act (NSA). In terms of Arms Act, more than 14,000 illegal arms were seized from the possession of the arrested accused.
Other highlights included the neutralisation of Maoists carrying big bounties on their heads. Two women Maoists carrying a bounty of Rs 14 lakh were neutralised by the police. The anti-terrorist squad arrested 16 members of the terrorist organisation HUT. The cops also dismantled 23,500 unauthorised speakers. Under the Operation Muskaan, 11,609 missing teenagers (boys and girls) were traced by the police and were reunited with their kin.
Police at commoners' beck and call: ADG
Additional director general of Police Training and Research Institute (PTRI), G Janardan expressed elation over the declining crime rate and said that the police are always at the commoners' beck and call.
