Theft topped the list of crimes in Dimapur district in 2021.
According to a report compiled by Dimapur Police, a total of 280 cases of theft were recorded in the past 12 months resulting in the arrest of 83 offenders.
Extortion was the second most prevalent crime in Dimapur with 98 cases registered and 138 arrests. The third most frequent crime was violation of Arms Act as 58 cases were registered and 59 arrests made.
Violation of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act (38 cases and 56 arrests) and kidnapping & abduction (36 cases and 81 arrests) came in fourth and fifth respectively in the list.
Giving a summary of the report on crimes under IPC and special and local laws at the commissioner of police office here on Wednesday, deputy commissioner of police (crime) and PRO Bharat Laxman Markad claimed that, compared to 2020, theft cases declined from 313 to 280, but extortion cases increased from 88 to 98, cases related to drugs increased from 25 to 38, cases related to Arms Act increased from 47 to 58 and cases under Foreigners Act increased from two to six.
He said 857 criminal cases were registered in 2020, which had come down to 738 this year, a decrease of 13.88%, while cases of kidnapping/abduction had an increase of 26%. He cited split in factions and relaxations of lockdown measures among the reasons that had contributed to the increase in cases of abductions.
Regarding decrease in theft cases, the DCP remarked that this could be attributed to the implementation of District Action Plan and increased patrolling, among other factors. He further claimed that though cases of extortion had increased in comparison to 2020, the spike was in the beginning of 2021, adding that after the Action Plan was put in place, case had decreased.
Among the major achievements, the report stated that 71 cases were registered in connection with NLTP Act/DC Act and NDPS Act where 92 persons were arrested while 158 cases were registered in connection with extortion and Arms acts cases where 197 persons were arrested.
He said 15,000 traffic violation cases were booked under non-FIR and 24, 600 defaulters issued challans by the traffic police.
DCP further claimed that the overall crime rate had come down in the district, pointing out that in 2015, before the introduction of police commissionerate, Dimapur had recorded 1,003 cases, which has come down to 738 now and gave the comparative figures of crimes in 2020 and 2021.
Commissioner of Police Rothihu Tetseo, who too was present, claimed that extortion cases had come down in the last four months following the implementation of District Action Plan, adding that the overall law and order situation in the last 12 months was peaceful and under control.
Under the Action Plan, Dimapur Police was carrying out extra enforcement measures to control extortion and illegal taxation activities, Tetseo said, adding that the traffic police too were carrying out extra enforcement drives to prevent accidents, especially in the highways.
Meanwhile, Dimapur police also made breakthrough in connection with the October 10 kidnapping case, October 27 firing incident, fraud and cybercrime.