According to a crime report from Bengaluru Police, molestation cases filed by women appear to have nearly doubled in 2023, in comparison to 2021. The report gives crime data from 2021 to 2023. In 2021, a total of 573 molestation cases were reported. In 2022, this number increased to 731 reported cases and by 2023 it had further spiked to 1,135 reported cases.
Similarly, Bengaluru saw an increase in most other gender-based crimes against women, the report shows. According to the report, registered cases of rape increased from 116 in 2021 to 152 in 2022 and to 176 in 2023. Reported dowry-related deaths have seen marginal changes for the same period: 26 cases in 2021 increased to 29 cases in 2022 before a slight drop to 25 cases in 2023.
In that regard, 735 cases were registered in 2021 under the Dowry Prohibition Act. In 2022, this increased to 954 in 2022 and further increased to 1,007 in 2023.
For cases registered under IPC section 498A (husband or relative of husband of a woman subjecting her to cruelty), 422 cases were registered in 2021. In 2022, the number of registered cases went up to 580 and in 2023 there was a further increase to 696.
The number of cases registered under The Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act stood at 129 in 2021, increasing to 155 in 2022 and further increasing to 161 in 2023.
In terms of overall data on crimes in the city, Bengaluru recorded a significant increase in reported crimes in 2023, reaching a total of 68,518 compared to 46,187 in 2022 — an uptick of 48.34%. The police attributed this surge to heightened awareness and initiatives such as the proactive filing of suo motu cases, complaints via the 112 control room leading to FIRs, and the implementation of e-FIR initiatives.
Read: Bengaluru sees nearly 50% rise in police cases registered in 2023