20 lakh kidnappings in 70 years in the country; out of these, 11 lakh in a decade, NCRB crime share increased 3 times

Incidents of kidnapping and forcible abduction in India have increased unexpectedly in the last decade. The recent case of kidnapping of the director of an IAS academy in Bhopal and extortion of Rs 1.89 crore has raised questions on the security system in the country. An analysis of official statistics shows that a total of more than 20 lakh such cases have been registered in the country between the years 1953 and 2024. The shocking fact is that 54% of the total cases (11.24 lakh cases) of these seven decades have been registered in the last 11 years alone (2013-2024). Kidnapping for ransom is only 0.7%, according to statistics, the share of kidnapping in total crimes was 1.01% in 1953-62, which has increased to 3.04% during 2013-24. One of the biggest reasons behind kidnapping is abduction of women for marriage and general abduction. Organised kidnapping for ransom accounts for only 0.7% of the total cases. Compared to states, Bihar used to be at the third position after Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra, but Bihar has recorded the lowest among the top six states in the 2024 figures. Nearly 9 out of 10 cases of cyber crimes against children in India have reported publishing or transmitting sexually explicit content related to children. According to the latest data of NCRB, crimes against children are on the rise despite the decline in total crimes in the country. 1,87,702 cases of crime against children were registered in 2024. This is 5.8% higher than the 1,77,335 cases in 2023.