Delhi Police unable to solve 75% cases, says Oppn; Govt rebuts

New Delhi: The Delhi Police has been unable to solve 75 per cent of the cases it has registered, members said in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday and expressed apprehension over the issue.

The government, however, sought to allay their concern by highlighting the police's high success rate in solving the heinous crimes.

During the Question Hour, some opposition members said that in 2016, the police had registered 2,01,281 non-heinous crime cases and only solved 50,423 of them.

One of the members, K T S Tulsi (Nominated) said it amounted to nearly 75 per cent of the cases staying unsolved.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh sought to allay the members' concerns saying said the Delhi Police's record regarding non-heinous category was comparable to their counterparts in leading cities in the US or the UK.

He also said that the number of rape cases had come down.

Minister of State for Home Hansraj Ahir said the police had solved 2,145 of the 2,155 rape cases. Only 10 rape cases remained unsolved, he said.

Singh told the members that in fact, Delhi Police should be lauded for its nearly 75 per cent success in solving the heinous category crimes.

He said in the non-heinous category, crimes of less serious nature are listed, of which the Delhi police has a success rate of 25 per cent. Singh however added that the world over, be it the US or London, the success rate is comparable. The non-heinous category could include cases of minor hurt or a pen being stolen, he added.

The Minister of State also sought to explain that a large number of vehicle thefts took place in the national capital and the complainant often stops following up after he gets the insurance amount.

According to the data provided in Ahir's reply, in 2016, cases of heinous crimes registered were 8,238 of which 6,190 were solved and 2,048 were unsolved. In 2016, cases of non- heinous crimes registered were 2,01,281 of which 50,423 were solved, while non-IPC cases registered were 7,401 of which 5,660 were solved.

The data showed that in 2015, the number of cases of crime against women registered was 12,736 and in 2016, this figure dropped to 11,295. In 2017 upto February, 1,332 cases of crimes against women were registered.

The minister also said that only one case of rape registered at Mehrauli was pending investigation for over five years.

SP member Jaya Bachchan wanted to know what action is taken against police personnel who commit crimes against women, to which Ahir said immediate and appropriate action is taken in such cases.