Kohima, Oct 1 (PTI) Nagaland has witnessed an increase in total cognizable crimes in 2021 to 2023, under Special and Local Laws (SLL), even as Indian Penal Code (IPC) crimes have remained relatively stable, according to NCRB report.

This was revealed in the Crime in India 2023 report released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).

According to the report, the state registered 1,899 cases in 2023, compared to 1,592 in 2022 and 1,478 in 2021, marking an overall growth of around 28 per cent in three years.

Crimes under the IPC have remained steady over the last three years: 2021 - 1,033 cases, 2022 - 1,008 cases and 2023 - 1,050 cases.

The crime rate per lakh population under IPC stands at 47.0, far below the national average of 270.3.

Murder cases rose gradually from 14 in 2021 to 19 in 2023, while kidnapping and abduction declined from four in 2021 to two in 2023, it said.

Offences against public tranquillity, including rioting and unlawful assembly, were recorded at 138 cases in 2023.

The report shows SLL crimes surged from 445 cases in 2021, 584 in 2022 and 849 cases in 2023, the report said.

This represents a 91 per cent increase in just three years. Most of these relate to excise, narcotics, and local administrative laws.

The SLL crime rate for Nagaland was 38 per lakh population, still lower than the national average of 178.0.

Crimes against women remain negligible, with the state reporting only two rape cases in 2021, one in 2022, and three rapes along with one trafficking case in 2023.

Nagaland's crime rate against women stands at 0.3 per lakh women population, compared to the national rate of 66.2.

Crimes against children also remained low, with two cases in 2021, one in 2022, and one IPC case in 2023. However, 2023 also saw 16 cases under the Juvenile Justice Act but no cases under the POCSO Act were recorded during these three years.

Nonetheless, technology-linked and financial crimes are on an upward trend in Nagaland with two cybercrime cases in 2021, four in 2022 and six in 2023.

Economic offences (cheating, fraud, forgery) also increased from 15 in 2021 to 22 in 2022 and 27 in 2023.

Property crimes form a significant share of IPC cases with numbers growing from around 1,500 in 2021 to 1,700 in 2022, and further to 1,851 in 2023. Theft and burglary were the leading categories, the report maintained.

Nagaland reported a steady decline in arms and explosives-related offences, with three cases in 2021, two in 2022, and one each under the Arms Act and Explosives Act in 2023.

The state also reported zero cases across categories such as crimes against senior citizens, atrocities against SCs/STs, environment-related offences, crimes against/by foreigners, and fake currency seizures during 2021–2023.

Nagaland's total of 1,899 cases in 2023, with 22.4 lakh mid-year projected population is the lowest in the Northeast. In comparison, Arunachal registered 2941 cases, Assam had 64959, Manipur 20,283, Meghalaya 3,532, Mizoram 4050, and Sikkim 718 cases.

However, the rate of cognizable crimes (IPC+SLL) provided by the NCRB shows that Nagaland stands lowest at 84.9 per cent, while other NE states, including Sikkim, have it over 100 per cent. PTI NBS NBS RG

Special and local laws crime surge prompts emphasis on enforcement and regulatory response within the state. Nagaland experienced a marked increase in offences under Special and Local Laws between 2021 and 2023, concentrated in excise, narcotics, and local administrative regulations, while IPC offences remained relatively stable with property crimes predominating and technology linked and economic offences trending upward.