Crimes against women dip in Delhi, but serious concerns persist

Delhi has long topped the list of major cities considered the most unsafe for women. However, the latest figures from the Delhi Police indicate a modest improvement, with serious crimes against women declining by more than 9% in 2025. The reduction points to stricter policing and greater awareness rather than a mere statistical shift.

Rape cases declined from 1,919 in 2024 to 1,737 in 2025, a reduction of around 9.48%. The disposal rate for these cases stood at 97.06%, marginally lower than the 97.66% recorded last year but still consistently high.

Cases of molestation saw a sharper fall, dropping from 1,897 in 2024 to 1,591 in 2025 — a decline of 16.13%. The disposal rate in such cases also improved, rising from 93.67% to 93.97%.

‘Safety remains our top priority’

Delhi Police Special Commissioner (Crime) Devesh Chandra Srivastava said women’s safety remained the force’s highest priority.

“Whenever a woman approaches a police station with a complaint, an FIR is registered immediately, and action is initiated without delay. Various measures are being taken to reduce crimes,” he said.

NCRB data highlights scale of problem

Despite the decline, the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) 2023 report underlined the magnitude of the challenge. Delhi continued to be the most unsafe major city for women among large metros.

In 2023, the capital recorded 13,366 cases — more than double those in Mumbai (6,025) and Bengaluru (4,870). The NCRB data also showed a 5.7% decline compared to the previous year.

Crackdown on online child sexual abuse

Alongside crimes against women, the Delhi Police have stepped up enforcement against online child sexual abuse and child pornography.

In 2025, police registered 60 FIRs based on 1,197 actionable leads received from international monitoring agencies. These inputs were provided by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), a United States-based organisation that monitors the online sexual exploitation of minors worldwide.

According to official data, the leads were processed by the Special Police Unit for Women and Children (SPUWAC) and forwarded to district-level units for investigation, resulting in criminal cases under stringent legal provisions.

Between January 1 and December 19, 2025, NCMEC shared 1,197 alerts specific to Delhi. These alerts related to the uploading, sharing, storage and circulation of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) across digital platforms.

During the same period, SPUWAC received a total of 10,151 inputs from NCMEC concerning suspected child pornography cases across India. Alerts linked to Delhi were identified and prioritised due to jurisdictional relevance and the urgent need to preserve digital evidence.

Senior police officials said such alerts typically originate from social media platforms, messaging applications, cloud storage services and online forums, where automated systems flag content suspected of involving the sexual exploitation of minors. The information is then routed through NCMEC to Indian law enforcement agencies.

Each alert is first assessed by SPUWAC before being forwarded to the relevant district police units. Once transferred, district teams carry out detailed technical verification, including analysis of IP addresses, mobile numbers, user accounts, digital footprints and seized electronic devices. Cyber forensic tools are used to trace the origin, storage location and dissemination chain of the material.

A senior Delhi Police officer described these investigations as technically complex and highly sensitive.

“Tracing offenders in cyberspace is challenging, but protecting children and preserving evidence remain paramount. These cases are managed with the utmost care to avoid re-traumatising victims,” the officer said.

The FIRs registered invoke stringent provisions of the Information Technology Act and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. Under Indian law, creating, possessing, transmitting, viewing or storing sexually explicit material involving minors is a serious offence, punishable by lengthy imprisonment and substantial fines.

Police officials noted that accused individuals often claim the content was downloaded or stored unintentionally. However, such defences do not automatically exonerate them, as intent is established through forensic analysis and supporting digital evidence.

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Parents and society at large have been urged to remain vigilant, monitor children’s online activity and report suspicious content promptly. Officials said international cooperation, robust technical capabilities and stringent enforcement were proving crucial in addressing the growing threat of online child exploitation.

Juvenile crime remains a concern

Crimes involving juveniles continued to raise serious concerns. Between January and August 2025, minors in Delhi were allegedly involved in 101 murders, 92 rapes, 157 cases of robbery and dacoity, 161 attempted murders, 139 cases of causing hurt, and 460 cases of burglary and theft.

During this period, more than 190 juveniles were apprehended for murder, 288 for attempted murder, 268 for robbery and dacoity, 101 for rape, and 220 for causing hurt. The highest number — 575 — were detained for burglary and theft.

According to the police, many of these crimes were reported from lower-income neighbourhoods and Jhuggi Jhopri clusters.

Red Fort blast rattles capital

Even as some crime indicators showed improvement, Delhi was shaken by the car bomb blast near the Red Fort, which triggered nationwide alarm.

The explosion killed at least 15 people and injured over 20 others, raising serious questions about how such an attack could have gone undetected.

On December 18, 2025, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested another key accused in the case. He was produced before a court, which remanded him to the agency’s custody until December 26.

Yasir Ahmed Dar, a resident of Shopian in Kashmir, is the ninth person to be arrested in the case. He was apprehended by the NIA in Delhi.

According to the agency, investigations revealed that Yasir played an active role in the conspiracy behind the car bomb blast.

“An active participant in the conspiracy, he had sworn allegiance and taken an oath to carry out self-sacrificial operations. He was in close contact with the other accused persons in the case, including Umar-Un-Nabi [the accused who was behind the wheel of the car that exploded] as well as Mufti Irfan,” the NIA said.

The agency said it was working closely with central and state agencies to unravel the conspiracy. “Earlier this month, it conducted extensive searches at the premises of several accused and suspects in Jammu & Kashmir and Uttar Pradesh, seizing various digital devices and other incriminating materials. These were preceded by similar searches at the premises of the prime accused, Dr Muzammil Shakeel Ganie and Dr Shaheen Saeed, in the Al Falah University complex and other locations in Faridabad (Haryana),” the agency said.