5 murders in 15 hours: Has Delhi become 'crime capital'?
What's the story
Calling New Delhi India's crime capital won't be a hyperbole. In a duration of 15 hours, the national capital was rocked by five murders. According to Delhi Police, nearly 20 rounds of bullets were fired. In fact, the spike in crime incidents led to a war of words between Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Delhi Police, which comes under the Union Home Ministry.
Murders
Two men were killed at a busy traffic junction
On Friday, two people, identified as Khurvesh and Kanchi, were shot dead by two bike-borne miscreants at a busy traffic junction near Nand Nagri. The victims were rushed to GTB hospital where they were pronounced brought dead. Two separate murder incidents were reported from Outer Delhi and the fifth murder was reported from Vikaspuri area. The fifth victim was identified as Amit Kochar.
Data
Gang-wars and murders in daylight have become common
As it turns out, Delhi has been reeling under crime since May. On May 19, a full-blown gang war broke out in Dwarka Mor area. Two people, riding a bike, opened fire at a car, and those inside the four-wheeler also returned the favor. Two people lost their lives in this Bollywood-styled attack. A few days later, a TikTok celebrity was shot dead.
Tweets
Subsequently, Kejriwal raised concerns over law and order situation
On Friday, Kejriwal took to Twitter to express concerns over rising crime incidents. He tagged offices of Lieutenant-Governor and Home Ministry in his tweet which read: Five murders in Delhi in last 24 hours is an extremely serious situation. I appeal to @LtGovDelhi & @HMOIndia to urgently look into the law and order situation of the national capital. Soon, Delhi Police replied with facts.
Twitter Post
Delhi Police claimed there has been a decline in crimes
The murders have all been confirmed to be personal enmity related. Accused previously known to victim and already arrested in some cases. Overall heinous crime in 2019 is down by 10.5%
— Delhi Police (@DelhiPolice) June 14, 2019
Crime by use of fire arms is down by 5.65%
Crime against women is down by 11.5%
Data
Have crimes really declined? Let's look at figures
A TOI report showed there has been no decline in cases of murders and snatchings, two indicators which paint a picture about law and order. In 2018, 205 murders were reported till May 31. This year, 211 murders were reported till the same date. Similarly, the number of snatchings went from 2,691 last year to 2,812 this time. This means 19 snatching incidents happened every day.
Details
Meanwhile, there has been a decline in rape cases
This year, 127 vehicles were stolen per day. Vehicle thefts went from 18,156 to 19,053. However, there has been a decline in some categories. From January to May 2018, 897 rape cases were reported. This time, this figure was 886. Burglaries dipped from 1,833 in 2018 to 1,378 this year. 1,163 cases of house theft were reported as opposed to 1,771 last year.
Quote
Crimes against women hasn't seen a rise: Delhi Police
Speaking on the data, Delhi Police spokesperson Madhur Verma said the law and order situation has been largely under control. "Most crimes have shown a decrease. Crimes against women remain our priority and there has been no rise in figures there," Verma asserted.