Alarming rise in sexual assaults on women in 'safe' Mumbai

Mumbai: In a city that was considered "safe" for women till a few years ago, there has been an alarming 14 per cent increase in the number of rape cases registered during 2011, as compared to the previous year.

In a clear reflection of increased sexual assaults on women in Mumbai, as many as 219 rape cases were registered in various parts of the metropolis in 2011, as compared to 192 cases in 2010. That the number of rape cases has grown steadily over the past three years is evident from the fact that 178 cases had been registered in 2009.

Similarly, the police registered as many as 556 molestation cases in 2011, as against 469 such cases registered in 2010 and 395 cases in 2009.

The kidnapping cases rose from 129 cases in 2010 to 170 cases in 2011. However, there was a drop in the number of chain snatching cases in the case from 2,044 cases in 2010 to 1,666 cases in 2011.

The Mumbai crime statistics for 2011 released by city police commissioner Arup Patnaik and Joint Police Commissioner (crime) Himanshu Roy early this week reveal that of the total 219 rapes registered last year, six were committed by a parent or close family members, nine by relatives and 25 by neighbours.

In as many as 65 cases, men perpetrated rape on women by making false promises of marriage to the victims. In 13 cases, total strangers committed sexual assaults on women.

On the detection side, the city police officials said that they had detected 209 out 219 rape cases registered in 2011, while they solved 182 out of 192 cases in 2010.

Maintaining that Mumbai was still was "still a relatively safe" for women, Patnaik said: "The safety of women is our prime priority and a zero tolerance policy against such crimes is necessary. We are always to eager take measures to increase the safety of women in the metropolis. However, Mumbai is still a relatively safe city for women".