Anakapalli: Effective use of technology, strong community cooperation and teamwork led to a dip in the overall crime rate in Anakapalli district by 23 percent compared to last year.

Sharing the statistics of ‘Annual Crime Report-2025’ here on Tuesday, Superintendent of Police, Anakapalli district Tuhin Sinha attributed the drop in the crime rate to technology adoption plus increased industrial security along with teamwork. “The ‘safe stay’ App introduced to verify hotel and lodge guests with criminal databases aided in prevention of crimes to a substantial extent. As many as 3,573 new CCTV cameras have been installed across the district. In industrial areas like Atchutapuram and Parawada, geo-tagged resource mapping and drone surveillance were implemented for accident prevention and emergency response,” he informed.

Compared to 2024 where 17 murder cases were registered, there is a 35 percent decline this year as the district recorded 11 murder cases. The total crime cases reduced from 7,573 registered last year to 5,821 in 2025. While crime against women reduced by 25 percent, kidnapping cases dropped by 85 percent, the SP elaborated. This year, about 411 persons involved in 128 NDPS were arrested. The district police seized 8,790.88-kg of ganja, worth Rs.4.41 crore approximately, 7.39 litres of hashish oil and 115 vehicles. Properties worth Rs.1.25 crore belonging to six major offenders were frozen, while 312 ganja offenders brought under suspect sheets, the statistics showed.

The district registered a decline of 11 percent in dowry harassment cases. However, in POCSO cases, there is a marginal drop of one percent compared to the previous year that registered 44 percent. The district recorded a drop of 29 percent in bodily offences, while SC/ST atrocity cases reduced significantly by 54 percent, the year-end data indicated.

However, cybercrime cases increased by 25 percent compared to previous year. Property offences too showed an increase of 3 percent and social media cases rose by 11 percent. Also, the district recorded 7 percent reduction in fatal road accidents. There is a decline in NDPS cases too by 21 percent compared to the last year.

The SP informed that 316 missing cases were filed in 2025. Of them, the district police traced 257, including 149 women and 42 girls.

Briefing about one of the notable crime detections, the SP said the district police solved Sabbavaram unidentified woman murder in 11 days screening the analysis of 450 CCTV cameras before arresting the accused. “Using call-data records and tower location analysis, Kasimkota transgender murder case was cracked within 24 hours,” the SP informed, lauding the coordinated teamwork in cracking the cases.

Through three recovery melas organised during the year, the district police recovered 1,880 mobile phones worth Rs.3.70 crore approximately and returned them to respective mobile owners.

The SP appealed to the public to continue extending complete cooperation to the police in maintaining law and order and further strengthening crime prevention and detection in the district.