Delhi recorded the highest number of crimes committed by juveniles among all metropolitan cities with a total of 2,278 incidents, according to the latest report of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).
The figure, though slightly lower than the 2,336 cases reported in 2022 and 2,618 in 2021, still places the capital well ahead of other major cities in terms of juvenile crime.
Chennai was a distant second with 523 such crimes reported, a marginal increase from 521 such instances reported in 2022. The city reported 496 crimes by juveniles in 2021. A total of 771 minors were apprehended in Chennai in 2023. The data showed that 3,098 juveniles were apprehended in Delhi in 2023, while the cases of 1,698 minors were pending before courts at the start of the year.
According to the NCRB data, 102 murder cases and 147 cases of attempt to murder were reported, in which juveniles were accused. Fifty rape cases and 39 cases of rash driving on public way, in which juveniles were involved, were also reported.
Minors were involved in 903 cases of theft, 91 cases of burglary and 210 cases of robbery.
Of the 3,098 juveniles apprehended, 381 were illiterate and 995 had studied up to the primary level.
There were 1,432 juveniles who had studied above primary, while 246 had studied above matriculation. Forty-four juveniles had studied above the higher-secondary level.
Of the minors apprehended, 2,640 were living with parents, 334 were staying with guardians, while 124 were homeless.
A total of 31,365 cases were registered in the country against juveniles in 2023, marking a 2.7-per cent rise over 2022, with Delhi recording the highest crime rate of 41 per one-lakh children.
Nationwide, the crime rate of juveniles went up from 6.9 in 2022 to 7.1 in 2023, according to the data.
