Technology Reshaping Crime Landscape, Cybercrime Crosses 100,000 Cases: SBI Report

Digital fraud is no longer uncommon in India. With the complex digital systems and evolving criminal landscape, cybercrime has crossed 1,00,000 cases, despite the overall cognisable crimes having declined by 6 per cent. According to a report by the State Bank of India (SBI), the downward trend in overall crimes could be attributed to a strategic combination of increased public investment, widespread digitisation, and enhanced urban surveillance.

India recorded 58.86 lakh cognisable crimes, reflecting a significant drop compared to the previous year, according to ANI and other media reports. The crimes against women have declined to 4.41 lakh in 2024 from 4.48 lakh cases in the previous year. However, despite the downward trend in the overall crime cases, cybercrimes have increased sharply, crossing potentially 1 lakh cases.

In 2024, the overall crime rate fell to 418.9 per lakh of the population, compared to 448.3 per lakh in 2023. The crimes against women have also dropped to 4.41 lakh cases in 2024 from 4.48 lakh in the previous year.

Reportedly, the rapid digitalisation of the Indian economy has been the main factor behind the declining crime rate. Tools like Unified Payment Interface (UPI), FASTag, and digital surveillance have raised the expected cost of committing a crime in terms of the chances of getting caught.

As per the report, there is a direct correlation between surveillance and safety. Areas with a larger number of CCTV cameras saw a measurable drop in crime between 2022 and 2024, reflecting a negative correlation of -0.148.

Under the Smart Cities Mission, all 100 designated Smart Cities can now operate Integrated Command and Control Centres. They can utilise over 84,000 CCTV cameras, 1,884 emergency call boxes, and 3,000 public address systems to monitor the real-time urban environment.

According to the report, the declining crime rate does not just provide public safety but serves as an economic catalyst. The SBI report suggests that crime acts as a drag on growth by increasing the transaction costs and discouraging investment. As per the data, for a 1 per cent decline in the crime rate per lakh population, there is roughly 0.11 per cent growth in real GDP in the short run. And the result is that it makes the law and order a vital variable in economic policy rather than just a social issue.

While the report highlights the decline in the overall crime rate, it notes that it is only a drop in the ocean compared to the reality on the ground, especially regarding the violence against women.

The 2024 data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) reveals a troubling reality: approximately 1.2 lakh cases of violence against women perpetrated by their husbands or relatives have been officially recorded. However, the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) data suggests that the actual number of physical or sexual spousal violence cases against women could be as high as 66.9 million. This difference between reported cases and estimated actual cases highlights how many women remain silent or don’t access the justice system when facing violence at home.

This underscores that although digital tools like CCTV cameras, etc., are helping in reducing the visible street crime, a much deeper intervention is required to reduce domestic violence and digital crime cases.