NCRB 2024 Report: Mumbai Records Among Highest Crimes Against Women, Maharashtra Sees Surge in Cyber and Economic Offences
Mumbai has emerged as one of the Indian cities with the highest number of crimes against women, according to the latest ‘Crime in India 2024’ report released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).
Among the country’s major metropolitan cities, only Delhi reported more cases than Mumbai.
The report paints a broader picture of rising concerns in Maharashtra, which also ranked among the leading states in cases involving crimes against children, economic fraud, cyber offences, and crimes against senior citizens.
At the same time, the NCRB cautioned against interpreting higher registration numbers as a direct rise in criminal activity.
In the introductory section of the report titled Crime Statistics – A Word of Caution, the bureau noted that an increase in FIRs may also reflect improved policing systems and better reporting mechanisms.
According to the NCRB, initiatives such as e-FIR facilities, women help desks, and citizen-friendly policing measures often encourage victims to come forward and report crimes that previously went unregistered.
The data showed that Mumbai recorded 6,358 cases of crimes against women in 2024, the highest among the 19 metropolitan cities with populations above two million. Only Delhi reported a higher number, with 13,396 cases.
Within Maharashtra, other major cities recorded significantly fewer cases. Pune registered 2,631 cases, while Nagpur reported 1,513 cases.
At the state level, Maharashtra stood second in the country in terms of total crimes against women, registering 47,954 cases. Uttar Pradesh topped the list with 66,398 cases.
However, when calculated based on crime rate relative to population, Telangana recorded the highest rate at 128.6 per cent.
The NCRB report also highlighted alarming figures related to crimes against children. Maharashtra recorded the highest number of such cases in the country, with 24,171 offences registered in 2024. Uttar Pradesh followed with 22,222 cases.
Among cities, Mumbai again ranked second with 3,374 reported crimes against children, while Delhi topped the list with 7,662 cases.
The report further showed that Maharashtra led the country in cases registered under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
A total of 721 corruption-related cases were registered in the state, far ahead of Tamil Nadu, which came second with 364 cases.
Most of these cases involved anti-corruption “trap” operations where public officials were allegedly caught accepting bribes red-handed. Maharashtra alone registered 683 such trap cases, while Rajasthan recorded 245.
Mumbai also topped the list among major cities for economic offences. The city registered 7,771 economic crime cases in 2024, the highest among the country’s 19 major urban centres. These included offences such as cheating, fraud, forgery, and criminal breach of trust.
At the state level, Maharashtra ranked among the top three states for economic offences, recording 20,083 cases. Telangana led with 39,127 cases, followed by Rajasthan with 27,637.
Cybercrime numbers also remained high in the state. Maharashtra reported 9,922 cybercrime cases in 2024, making it the fourth-highest in the country.
Among cities, Bengaluru topped the list with 17,561 cybercrime cases, while Mumbai ranked second with 4,939 cases.
The NCRB report also drew attention to crimes against senior citizens. Maharashtra recorded 4,918 such cases, second only to Madhya Pradesh, which registered 5,875 cases.
In city-wise figures, Mumbai again stood second with 791 cases involving senior citizens, behind Delhi, which recorded 1,267 cases.
On custodial deaths, the report stated that Maharashtra recorded 10 deaths in police custody during 2024, making it the second-highest in the country after Gujarat, which reported 17 such cases.
The NCRB data overall reflects the scale and complexity of policing challenges in Maharashtra and Mumbai, while also underlining how improved reporting systems and public awareness may be contributing to the rising number of registered cases across multiple categories.
