IndiaPost.com - India is murder capital of the world

NEW DELHI: India has earned the dubious distinction of being the country where maximum number of murders take place in the world, three times more than the instances of murder reported in neighbouring Pakistan and double the corresponding figures in the USA. More than 50 lakh incidents of crime was reported in 2007-08 which included murder, rape and drug offenses, a government report said.

There were 32,719 instances of murder recorded in India in 2007-08, whereas the corresponding figures for the USA was 16,692 and for Pakistan, 9,631, the report, compiled by National Crime Records Bureau and released by the Union home ministry, said. India was followed by South Africa which registered 30,960 instances of murders.

Austria recorded just 148 murders and 177 such instances were registered in Israel. However, the rate (per lakh population) of murder and other crimes in India was much less as compared to other countries. The murder and rape rate in India is three and four (per lakh population) respectively whereas South Africa recorded the occurrence rate in murders and rapes at 65.27 and 115.8 respectively. "Most of the murders are incited by passion, sudden provocation, crime and family disputes," Delhi Police spokesman ACP Rajan Bhagat said.

Delhi has recorded an increase of 1.08 per cent in the number of murders in 2007 as compared to 2006. The number of rape committed was maximum in the USA which recorded 93,934 such assaults followed by South Africa ~ 54,926 and India ~ 18,359. The data of 22 countries which included Australia, Argentina, Austria, Bulgaria, Japan, Canada, England and Wales, Germany, Malaysia, New Zealand, Thailand and Sri Lanka among others were used to compile the report.

In India, 44,159 instances of sexual offenses, 2,70,861 cases of serious assault and 22,814 robberies and violent-theft related incidents were reported, the report said. The maximum number of robbery related incidents was reported in Japan which registered 17,25,072 such instances. The USA topped the crime list with 2,31,13,708 crime-related incidents in all, whereas India registered altogether 50,26,337 criminal cases.