MP, Maharashtra, TN & Karnataka Most Unsafe For Elderly, Reveals NCRB Report On Crimes Against Senior Citizens

Senior citizens are easy targets for crimes such as theft, forgery, and cheating. In 2023, 27,886 cases were reported as crimes against senior citizens. The highest number of crimes was reported for incidents under simple hurt (27.3 per cent). It was followed by incidents of theft (14.8 per cent) and forgery, cheating, and fraud (12.5 per cent), per the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB)’s annual report. Seniors are vulnerable to such types of crimes, as they live alone, and also due to their physical frailty and lack of digital literacy.

Compared to the 28,545 cases reported in 2022, the latest data for 2023 shows a slight dip. However, in many cases, seniors do not report the crime against them due to social stigma and hassle in dealing with the police and other legal processes.

Per the NCRB data, Madhya Pradesh tops the list in crimes against senior citizens, with 5,738 cases, followed by Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka with 5115, 2104, and 1840, respectively, reported PTI. Chhattisgarh followed next in the list of crimes against seniors with 1798 reported cases. In the union territories, Delhi stood on top with 1361 cases. It also witnessed a higher crime rate, 118.6 per cent per one lakh of seniors.

Crime against elderly women (13 rapes and six assaults) also raises the question of the safety of the elderly. Roadside chain-snatching and robbery are common incidents of crime against older individuals. Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Madhya Pradesh came out to be the highly unsafe states for seniors due to rising incidences of murder of older individuals, especially by trusted people like relatives, neighbours, etc

Notably, Tamil Nadu saw a marginal decline in overall murder cases from 1,690 in 2022 to 1,681 in 2023. It ranked 29th in India in terms of reported murder cases, 26th in robbery cases, 34th in burglary cases, and 36th in dacoity cases.

For Maharashtra, the NCRA data shows 92 per cent pendency of cases that went into trial in 2023 under the Indian Penal Code (IPC). As per the data, the conviction rate is around half (49.3 per cent) in Maharashtra, whereas Mizoram topped with a 95.1 per cent conviction rate, the highest in the country.