Karnataka recorded a decline in overall crime in 2024 after a spike the previous year, but the latest “Crime in India – 2024” report by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) has flagged a sharp rise in crimes against senior citizens, raising concerns over the safety of the elderly population in the State.

According to the report, Karnataka registered 1,98,331 cognisable crimes under IPC/BNS and Special and Local Laws (SLL) in 2024, down by 7.4% from 2,14,234 cases in 2023. The State had recorded 1,80,742 cases in 2022.

Cases registered under IPC/BNS fell to 1,38,784 in 2024 from 1,48,648 in 2023, while SLL crimes declined from 65,586 to 59,547 during the same period.

However, the most alarming trend was the steep rise in crimes against senior citizens. Karnataka recorded 4,247 such cases in 2024, compared to 1,840 cases in 2023 and 1,583 in 2022 — marking an increase of nearly 130% year-on-year.

The report also showed a marginal rise in crimes against Scheduled Castes in the State, with 2,016 cases registered in 2024 compared to 1,923 in 2023.

In Bengaluru, the crime profile reflected the challenges of policing a rapidly expanding metropolitan city and growing industrial and technology hub. The city registered 34,715 IPC/BNS crimes in 2024. Among metropolitan cities, Bengaluru ranked among the highest in several categories.

Bengaluru recorded 9,229 theft cases in 2024, making it the third-highest metro in the country after Delhi and Mumbai. The city also reported 176 murder cases in 2024, placing it second among all metropolitan cities after Delhi. However, the figures showed a decline from 206 murder cases reported in 2023.

Economic offences, including fraud and cheating, stood at 3,477 cases in Bengaluru in 2024, making it the third-highest among Indian metros after Mumbai and Delhi. The number, however, declined from 3,858 cases reported in 2023.

Crimes against senior citizens in Bengaluru continued to rise gradually, with 660 cases recorded in 2024 compared to 649 in 2023 and 458 in 2022. The city police have launched many initiatives to ensure the safety of senior citizens, including the Mane Manege Police and directions to the beat police to monitor senior citizens living in their area of operation.

The report also highlighted a decline in juvenile crime in the city. Cases involving juveniles in conflict with the law dropped to 386 in 2024 from 427 in 2023.

At the State level, Karnataka also witnessed a fall in environmental offences, which decreased from 1,589 cases in 2023 to 1,214 in 2024.

The NCRB noted that crime statistics should not be interpreted solely through absolute numbers, as variations in population size, urban density, reporting practices and awareness levels influence the figures across States and cities.

Crime against women and children

The city continued to report one of the highest volumes of crimes against women among India’s major cities in 2024, even as overall numbers showed a marginal decline from the previous year.

The city recorded 4,748 cases of crimes against women in 2024, compared to 4,870 in 2023, but still second only to Delhi among metropolitan centres.

Bengaluru’s crime rate stood at 117 cases per lakh population — significantly higher than Mumbai’s 74.6 and Chennai’s 25.4.

Cruelty by husbands or relatives remained the single largest category, accounting for 897 cases. Bengaluru also recorded 180 cases of assault on women with intent to outrage modesty, 168 rape cases, and 109 kidnapping and abduction cases involving women.

The NCRB data also points to mounting concern over crimes involving children. Bengaluru registered 2,026 crimes against children in 2024, up from 1,982 in 2023 and 1,578 in 2022 — a steady three-year rise. Among India’s metropolitan cities, only Delhi and Mumbai reported higher numbers. This, according to a senior police officer, is also due to rising awareness among the members of general public to report incidents .

But the low chargesheeting rate in child crime cases remains a concern. Bengaluru’s rate stood at just 37%, below Chennai’s 96 % and Kolkata’s 99.6 %.