Cheating, forgery top crimes against elderly in UT: NCRB report
Among the 74 senior citizens who became the crime targets in 2022, a total of 55 were victims of forgery, cheating and cyber-crimes
UT has witnessed a three-fold increase in the rate of crime against senior citizens in 2022, with 75 % of the incidents related to forgery and cheating, according to a recent NCRB report.
In 2020, 43 senior citizens fell prey to various crimes in UT, while the number plummetted to 22 in 2021, and jumped to 74 in 2022- an increase of 236%. The national average of such crimes rests at just 27.
Among the 74 senior citizens who were victims in 2022, a total of 55 were victims of forgery, cheating and cyber- crimes, while others were targeted by snatchers and burglars. There was one case of attempted murder, two cases of theft, one robbery, three of criminal trespass and one case of causing hurt while 11 cases under other Indian Penal Code crimes, against senior citizens in 2022.
Recording a high incidence of crime against senior citizens at a rate (crime per one lakh of population) of 110.3 %, Chandigarh has witnessed more crimes against elderly than all other union territories in the country except Delhi which has a crime rate of 114.6 % in this category.
Awareness the key, says police
DSP cyber crime cell A Venkatesh said the police has been creating awareness regarding cyber crimes including sending cyber awareness vans in populated areas and busy public places. “Awareness is created through radio jingles. Many senior citizens are not aware of using UPI and they fall prey to online scams. We have deployed police personnel to pay regular visits to senior citizens to tell them about the dos and don’ts of using payment applications,” he said.
As far as other crimes are concerned, the Chandigarh police claims to ensure safety of senior citizens by deploying beat staff to regularly patrol around their residences.
“Even the presence of police around their residence goes a long way in boosting the confidence of the elderly who are living alone. While a police jeep patrols around their residences regularly, the beat staff has routine conversations with the elderly which instils confidence and security in them,” says DSP Ram Gopal, PRO, Chandigarh Police.