An average of 82 people were murdered daily across India in 2021, while more than 11 kidnappings were reported every single hour during the year, according to latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report.
The rate of murder per one lakh population was highest in Jharkhand, while that of kidnapping and abduction in Delhi, NCRB's 'Crime in India 2021' report showed.
A total of 29,272 cases of murder involving 30,132 victims were registered during 2021, showing a marginal increase of 0.3 per cent over 2020 (29,193 cases), showed the NCRB, which functions under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
While 1,01,707 cases of kidnapping and abduction involving 1,04,149 victims were registered during 2021, showing an increase of 19.9 per cent over 2020 (84,805 cases), nearly a lakh were "recovered" too, during the year, the data showed.
Among the top five states reporting murders were Uttar Pradesh (3,717 cases, 3,825 people), Bihar (2,799 cases, 2,826 people), Maharashtra (2,330 cases, 2,381 people), Madhya Pradesh (2,034 cases, 2075 people) and West Bengal (1,884 cases, 1,919 people), it showed.
Delhi recorded 459 cases in which 478 people were murdered, according to the NCRB figures.
Motive of murder
'Disputes' (9,765 cases) was the motive in highest number of murder cases during 2021 followed by 'personal vendetta or enmity' (3,782 cases) and 'gain' (1,692 cases), according to the annual report.
However, the rate of murder (per lakh population) was highest in Jharkhand at 4.1 (1,573 cases, 1,606 people) followed by Andaman and Nicobar Islands at 4 (16 cases, 18 people), the data showed.
Delhi had a crime rate of 2.2 for murder.
In terms of kidnapping and abduction, India logged 1,01,707 cases in 2021 which was a rise of 19.9 per cent from 2020.
Of those kidnapped or abducted, 17,605 were male, 86,543 female and one transgender. Of all the victims, 69,014 (10,956 male and 58,058 female) were children and 35,135 (6,649 male, 28,485 female and one transgender) were adult, the report stated.
Also, during 2021, a total of 99,680 kidnapped or abducted people (17,477 male, 82,202 female and one transgender) were recovered, out of which 98,860 people were "recovered alive" and 820 people found dead, it added.
Among the top five states reporting kidnapping and abduction were Uttar Pradesh (14,554 cases, 14,714 people), Bihar (10,198 cases, 2,826 people), Maharashtra (10,502 cases, 10,680 people), Madhya Pradesh (2,034 cases, 2075 people) and West Bengal (1,884 cases, 1,919 people), it showed.
According to the NCRB, Delhi reported 5,527 cases involving 5,888 victims of kidnapping and abduction, at a rate of 26.7 – the highest among states and Union Territories in India.
