The city of Hyderabad is one of the safest metropolitan centres in the country, data released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) shows.
For the first time, the NCRB has published data on crime rates in 19 metropolitan cities with populations over 2 million.
Hyderabad ranked 18th in the list, registering 236.1 crimes for every one lakh of population in 2016. By comparison, Delhi, which topped the list, recorded 1,263.9 crimes per lakh of population. Only Kolkata recorded a lower rate of crime, with 176.9 crimes for every lakh of population.
For crimes recorded under the Indian Penal Code, Hyderabad contributed to 3.3% of the total crimes, while Delhi contributed to 38.8%.
The NCRB data also shows that the number of crimes in Hyderabad have declined since 2014. While 2014 saw 21,893 crimes being recorded, this number dropped to 18,957 in 2015, and a little further to 18,295 in 2016.
Among these, the number of murders dropped from 106 in 2015 to 86 last year.
A similar trend was noticed in Telangana.
Crimes against women
However, while cases of crime have dropped in Telangana and its capital, crimes against women, including rape and 'cruelty by husband or his relatives' have risen in Hyderabad.
The NCRB said that Hyderabad recorded 2,419 crimes against women, out of which 1,311 cases dealt with cruelty by husbands or relatives. This was the second highest figure noted in this category among all 19 metropolitan cities. Delhi stood first here with 3,645 cases of cruelty.
Cases of assault on women with intent to outrage their modesty and cases of sexual harassment were also rising in the state, the NCRB noted.
However, the Hyderabad police attributed this spurt to more incidents being reported in the open, thanks to the SHE team initiative, and Bharosa Centres.
Overall, 15,374 cases of crime against women were registered across Telangana in 2016, compared to 15,425 cases in 2015.
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