Alarming 120% increase in instances of molestation recorded between Jan & Oct.
Even as Mumbai grapples to curb crimes against women, the satellite city of Navi Mumbai, known for maintaining law and order properly, is seeing a drastic change in the same in recent times.
While rape cases have increased by 90% in the first 10 months of this year, molestation cases have gone up by 120%.
As per sources from the Navi Mumbai crime branch, as many as 56 rape cases have been registered between January 1 and October 31. Last year, 30 cases were registered in the same period. The police solved 55 and 29 cases in 2013 and 2012, respectively.
As far as molestation cases are concerned, 117 have been registered this year, as against last year’s 54. Two cases from this year and one from last year are yet to be solved.
Likewise, cases of insulting modesty of a woman (section 509 of the Indian Penal Code) have also risen sharply this year. A total of 47 such cases have been registered in the first 10 months of this year as opposed to last year’s 24.
Senior police officers from the city, however, attribute this spurt to the increasing awareness among people. “There was a time when a victim’s family would hesitate to approach the police to register a rape or molestation case. It was thought to be something that tarnishes the reputation of the family. But now, women are bold enough for taking requisite measures to ensure that the culprits are behind bars,” said additional commissioner of police of Navi Mumbai Fateh Singh Patil.
“We have taken all possible steps for the safety of women in the city. Following our requests, the civic authorities have installed street lights in the MIDC areas, which are prone to such crimes.
Similar steps have been taken at Karnala fort in Panvel, where young couples frequent for picnics.
We have also deployed our personnel in other isolated areas for women’s safety,” Patil said.
However, it’s not just the city’s women who are targets of sexual crimes. The police have registered six cases of unnatural offences (section 377 of the Indian Penal Code) in the first 10 months of this year as against only one case registered in the same duration last year. But all the seven cases have been solved.
Deputy commissioner of police (crime) Shrikant Pathak admitted that almost all the victims of unnatural offences were minors. “Such culprits normally target minors and commit the crime after taking them to some lonely place,” he said.
“In more than 80% of all the cases registered this year, the accused and the victim knew each other,” Patil said.
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