Theft is Mumbai's biggest crime

Crimes of passion and murder are on the ebb. Even instances of extortion and dacoity, which never failed to make headlines a decade ago, are fewer in number when compared to petty crime like pick-pocketing and chain-snatching.

An analysis of last year's crime pattern based on data from the Mumbai Police shows that theft, house break-ins and stolen motor vehicles top the list. Of a total of 30,957 cases registered with the Mumbai police, there were 6,055 complaints of theft, followed by 4,183 cases of stolen vehicles. Pick-pocketing and chain-snatching accounted for another 1,766 cases (See box).

The city's crime graph, like its burgeoning population, is also rapidly rising: over the last decade the city has witnessed a 52% rise in crime. "It's easy money. Organised gangs are behind the lucrative trade of car thefts. The stolen vehicles are sold outside the state after their chassis and registration numbers are changed," said a senior police official. There's no denying that Mumbai is a wealthy city, and the rise of crimes like theft that have a low detection rate is a natural corollary, say senior police officials. For instance, more than 45% of pick-pocketing and chain-snatching cases have gone undetected. The success rate for detecting stolen motor vehicles is even lower—of the 4,183 cases reported, only 935 were detected.

"Crimes like dacoity, where a gang of armed thieves enter a house and rob people at knife point or even assault them have reduced. Today, thefts are carried out in a more sophisticated manner," said former police officer Y P Singh. Ten years ago, 161 dacoity cases were registered. In 2009, there were only 19 cases.

According to RTI activist Vihar Durve, who filed a query on this issue, the number of extortion cases dropped from 338 in 2000 to 162 in 2006. "But then in 2009, there were 196 cases, and it appears that this particular crime— usually associated with the underworld—is creeping back into the metropolis," he said. While the number of rape cases has dropped from 261 to 178, there's no reason to celebrate, added Durve. "Nearly one rape occurs every two days in Mumbai. We are not considering those cases that never see the light of day."

There's a new urban crime that's symptomatic of the malaise plaguing Mumbaikars. It falls under the seemingly innocuous category of injury. In 2000, the police registered two cases of injury; by 2009, the number rose to 3,579. "These are cases where people in a fit of rage try to assault or harm people in public places. Reasons could be property disputes, industrial disputes, family quarrels," said an official.

Sceptics insist that the figures are far from accurate on account of what is called "burking of cases". Said Singh: "This is when cases are not registered, instead a report of enquiry is made. It is done to keep the crime graph low."