NCRB 2023: India logs over 62 lakh crimes – kidnappings, thefts, and cyber frauds lead the rise

On 30th September, the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) published its annual crime report for the year 2023. According to the data made available by the agency, over 62 lakh cognisable crimes took place during that year, marking an increase of 7.2% compared to 2022, which recorded over 58 lakh cases.

The surge was driven largely by thefts, kidnapping, cyber fraud, and offences under the Motor Vehicles Act. The data was compiled by NCRB based on police records across states and Union Territories, and it provided a detailed breakdown of crimes under both the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Special and Local Laws (SLL).

In 2023, a total of 62,41,569 offences were reported. Out of these, 37,63,102 were registered under the IPC and 24,78,467 under SLL. IPC crimes accounted for 60.3% of all offences. The report recorded a 5.7% growth in IPC crimes and a 9.5% rise in SLL crimes compared to 2022. While the crime rate per lakh of population was 422.2 in 2022, it increased to 448.3 in 2023.

There was a significant increase in cases of obstruction on public roads (Section 283 IPC), which almost doubled from 93,548 cases in 2022 to 1,51,469 in 2023. Theft cases rose to 6,89,580 from 6,52,731. In SLL crimes, Motor Vehicles Act cases also doubled, increasing from 94,450 in 2022 to 1,91,828 in 2023.

The crime rate per lakh of population increased from 422.2 in 2022 to 448.3 in 2023, indicating more Indians were victimised by crime in 2023 compared to the previous year.

A strong increase was observed in cases of obstruction on public roads (Section 283 IPC), which almost doubled from 93,548 cases in 2022 to 1,51,469 in 2023. Also, cases of theft rose to 6,89,580 from 6,52,731. In SLL crimes, Motor Vehicle Act cases also doubled from 94,450 in 2022 to 1,91,828 in 2023.

Crimes against the human body

One of the most concerning aspects of the report was crimes against the human body, which saw a massive surge. According to the NCRB report, there were 11,85,915 such cases reported in 2023, making up 31.5% of all IPC crimes. Among these, “hurt” cases led the charts with 6,36,767 incidents (53.7%), followed by deaths due to negligence (1,65,971 cases) and kidnapping and abduction (1,13,564 cases).

Murder cases saw a slight drop

According to the NCRB, 2023 saw a slight drop in murder cases compared to 2022. There were 27,721 murder cases reported in 2023, whereas in 2022, the number stood at 28,522. A total of 9,209 murders took place due to disputes, 3,458 due to personal vendetta or enmity, and 1,890 due to gain.

Increase in kidnapping and abduction

On the other hand, there was a 5.6% surge in kidnapping and abduction cases. In 2023, there were 1,13,564 cases reported. Out of these, 82,106 were children. Although most were recovered, 1,649 kidnapped individuals were found dead. The figures reflect both the extent and the risks of such crimes.

Offences against public tranquillity

Crimes against public order also registered a slight increase. The NCRB report recorded 58,247 cases of offences against public tranquillity, of which 39,260 were cases of rioting (67.4% of the total). This represented a 2% rise from 57,082 cases reported in 2022.

Crimes against women and children

Crimes against women continued to rise. There were 4,48,211 cases in 2023, a slight increase of 0.7% from 4,45,256 in 2022. The largest proportion came from cruelty by husband or relatives, with 1,33,676 cases (29.8%), followed by kidnapping and abduction of women (88,605 cases), assault with intent to outrage modesty (83,891 cases), and cases under the POCSO Act (66,232 cases). The crime rate against women per lakh female population declined slightly from 66.4 in 2022 to 66.2 in 2023.

Crimes against children rose sharply by 9.2%, with 1,77,335 cases reported in 2023. Almost half of these pertained to kidnapping and abduction of children (79,884 cases), followed by POCSO Act cases at 67,694, accounting for 38.2% of crimes against children. The children’s crime rate rose from 36.6 in 2022 to 39.9 per lakh child population in 2023.

Juveniles in conflict with the law

Crimes involving juveniles also increased. A total of 31,365 cases were registered against juveniles in 2023, compared to 30,555 in 2022. Police arrested 40,036 juveniles, with the majority (79%) belonging to the 16–18 age group. The juvenile crime rate increased from 6.9 in 2022 to 7.1 in 2023.

Crimes against senior citizens

Offences against senior citizens recorded a minor decline compared to 2022. In 2023, 27,886 cases were reported, down from 28,545 in 2022. Most of the cases were of simple hurt (7,608, or 27.3%), followed by theft (4,130 cases) and forgery/cheating/fraud (3,473 cases).

Offences against scheduled castes and tribes

The NCRB reported 57,789 cases against Scheduled Castes, a marginal increase of 0.4% from 57,582 in 2022. The majority involved simple hurt (18,437 cases), criminal intimidation, and offences under the SC/ST Atrocities Act.

Crimes against Scheduled Tribes, however, showed rise of 28.8%, increasing from 10,064 cases in 2022 to 12,960 in 2023. Rioting and rape made up a significant portion of these crimes.

Rise in economic offences

White-collar crimes also increased. A total of 2,04,973 economic offences were registered in 2023, a 6% increase from 1,93,385 in 2022. Most of these, 1,81,553 cases, involved forgery, cheating and fraud (FCF), followed by 22,759 cases of criminal breach of trust and 661 counterfeiting cases.

Cyber offences experienced a huge increase of over 30%

Cyber offences recorded a sharp increase. India saw 86,420 cybercrime cases in 2023, a steep 31.2% rise from 65,893 in 2022. Fraud was the top category, accounting for almost 69% of cases (59,526), followed by sexual exploitation (4,199 cases) and extortion (3,326 cases). The cybercrime rate rose from 4.8 in 2022 to 6.2 in 2023.

Decline in offences against the state

Notably, crimes against the state dropped by 13.1%, falling from 5,610 cases in 2022 to 4,873 in 2023. Most were registered under the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act (3,989 cases), followed by 750 under UAPA.

Offences related to the environment

The NCRB registered a sharp 30.4% increase in environment-related offences, with 68,994 cases in 2023 compared to 52,920 in 2022. Cases under the Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA) accounted for 85.9% (59,279 cases), followed by 9.6% (6,640 cases) under Noise Pollution Acts (State/Central).

Crimes involving foreigners

In 2023, 238 crimes against foreigners were reported, a rise of 24% from 192 cases in 2022. These included 46 thefts and 27 rapes. Conversely, crimes committed by foreigners increased to 2,546 cases in 2023, from 2,100 in 2022. Most were under the Foreigners Act and the Passport Act.

Cases of Human trafficking

Human trafficking cases showed a slight decline. A total of 2,183 cases were reported in 2023, compared to 2,250 in 2022. There were 6,288 victims, including 2,687 children, and 6,043 victims were rescued. Police arrested 6,024 traffickers during the year.

Missing persons and children

India reported 4,84,584 missing persons in 2023, a 9.5% increase from 4,42,572 in 2022. Of these, 3,24,763 were women. Encouragingly, 4,60,886 missing persons were traced or recovered. Missing children also increased by 9.5% to 91,296 cases, of which 68,835 were girls. Authorities recovered 89,809 children in the year.

Property-related offenses

Property-related offences rose by 4.7%, totalling 8,78,307 cases in 2023. Thefts formed the largest category with 6,89,580 cases, followed by 1,07,573 burglaries. Properties worth ₹6,917 crore were stolen, but only ₹2,065 crore were recovered, a recovery rate of just 29.9%.

Seizures of weapons, explosives and counterfeit currency

India registered 73,388 Arms Act cases in 2023, with over 82,756 weapons recovered, most of them unlicensed. Explosive recoveries also surged, with over 10 lakh kg recovered in 2023 compared to 88,987 kg in 2022. Authorities also recovered 4,49,768 explosive devices. Fake currency worth ₹16.86 crore, consisting of 3,51,656 notes, was seized in 2023.

Conclusion

The NCRB’s 2023 report presents a mixed scenario of India’s law and order. While there was a decline in serious crimes such as murder and crimes against the state, there was a steep rise in cybercrimes, thefts, kidnappings, and crimes against children. The data suggests that although policing has improved in detection and registration, new categories of crime, particularly cyber fraud and economic offences, are emerging faster.