Guntur district witnessed a significant decline in several major crimes during the first four months of 2026 compared to the corresponding period last year.

Superintendent of Police (SP) Vakul Jindal, in an interaction with The Hindu, referred to the comparative crime statistics from January to April. The SP said serious offences such as murder, rape, kidnapping, attempt to murder and cheating registered notable reductions. Murder cases declined from 19 in 2025 to 10 in 2026, marking a 47.4% decrease. Rape cases dropped from 28 to 19, a fall of 32%, while kidnapping cases came down from 13 to 6, recording a 54% reduction.

Attempt to murder cases reduced from 40 to 23, registering a 42.5% decline. Grievous hurt cases saw a sharp fall from 20 to 5, reflecting a 75% reduction. Cheating cases declined from 241 to 189, a decrease of 22%, while theft cases reduced from 300 to 259, showing a 14% drop.

House breaking cases during night hours also came down significantly from 63 to 43, a reduction of 32%. Overall IPC/BNS crimes declined from 2,342 to 2,179, registering a 7% decrease during the review period.

Mr. Vakul Jindal attributed the decline in major crimes to intensified patrolling, surveillance, improved investigation standards and continuous monitoring by police officers at different levels. He said special focus had been laid on crime prevention, quick response systems and community policing initiatives.

At the same time, the SP acknowledged that day time robbery and house breaking categories recorded an increase and required police focus. Robbery cases increased from 3 to 5 and day-time house breaking cases rose from 15 to 21.

The district’s overall case count increased marginally from 3,381 cases in 2025 to 3,451 in 2026, registering a rise of 2%. The SP said police would intensify enforcement, intelligence gathering and preventive policing in areas showing an upward trend in offences.

He said that police crackdown on drugs, enforcement on open drinking, and strengthening of night patrolling have reduced crime in the district.

As the police have been lodging cases on open drinking under the Prohibition Act, the number of cases in this category has also increased.