Crime rate up 9%; cybercrime 123% in Rachakonda

Rachakonda: The overall crime rate in Rachakonda Police Commissionerate increased by nine percent in 2021, as 21,685 cases were booked in the current year (19,857 cases in 2020). Cybercrime rose by a whopping 123% as cases reported in 2021 were 1,360 (610 in 2020).

Addressing the annual meet on Monday, Rachakonda Police Commissioner M Bhagwat said, "cybercrime is the crime of future; it is important to curb it because a lot of gullible people are losing their hard-earned money to such crooks. We have constituted a special cell to detect and trace cybercrime-related issue. It is working hard to ensure that cybercrime cases are reduced. In cybercrime most famous ones are Nigerian frauds, matrimonial frauds, bank loan app frauds. In the Nigerian frauds Nigerians are luring innocent women through matrimonial websites and cheating them. Importantly bank loan app fraud came up during lockdown as many used technology for convenience. It is therefore urged everyone not to click on any suspicious link and not fall prey to such cyber crooks." He added, "the conviction rate in Rachakonda was phenomenal. We achieved life sentences for eight persons; two were convicted for 20 years. Overall, 227 were convicted in 2021 from one to 20 years. Also, in drug-related cases we were able to book 93 in 2021 and 5,779 kg ganja, three litres of liquid ganja, 6.754 litres of Hashish Oil, 6.1 gm Methamphetamine, 400 kg opium seeds, seven gm Ketamine, 1 gm MDMA, 0.4 gm LSD bolt were seized and 175 were arrested in 2021;33 drug peddlers were booked under the PD act."

The anti-human trafficking unit (AHTU) busted 106 rackets, arrested 354 and invoked the PD Act against 55. Sixty-six victims were rescued from sex trafficking, in which 63 were adults and three minors. As many as 377 rape cases were reported. In 368 cases victims knew offenders; only in nine cases the victims were unknown to offenders, said the officer. Bhagwat said SHE teams so far prevented 122 child marriages, including 31 this year. Rachakonda stood first in Telangana in terms of convictions – 55% in 2018, 65% in 2019, 66% in 2020, and 51% in 2021. It was first in disposal of 8,836 compoundable cases at four national Lok Adalats.