Economic offences: India
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Region-wise
2016: Delhi tops (5,942 cases)
December 1, 2017: The Times of India
Delhi reported the maximum number of cases of economic offences in 2016 among major cities. Logging 5,942 cases, the capital accounted for 19.3% of the total cases registered under this head, according to the data released by the National Crime Records Bureau on Thursday. With 4,742 cases, Jaipur was in second place, while the country’s financial capital, Mumbai, followed with 4,191 cases, giving the two cities 15.4% and 13.6% shares, respectively.
After including the 11,907 cases involving economic offences carried forward from the past years, 17,849 cases were investigated in Delhi in 2016. Unlike in the previous years, none of the cases was withdrawn by the state in 2016.
Of the four categories under which the cases of economic offences got reported, the most (4,957) related to cheating. Criminal breach of trust was behind 519 cases, while forgery led to 387 cases and counterfeiting to 79, the data showed.
The incidence of cyber crime was less in Delhi in 2016 than in 2014, going down to 90 from 224. The figure was just 2.2% of the 4,172 such cases reported in 19 major Indian cities in 2016. Mumbai reported the highest in this respect, 980 (23.5%). While 48 cases in Delhi were computer-related, no cases were lodged under the head of cyber terrorism.
“Illegal gain” was the motive under which most (34) of the cyber crime cases in Delhi were categorised. This was followed by “insult to modesty of women” with 15 cases. Forty-seven men were arrested in the capital, of whom 40 were charge-sheeted. Nobody was convicted and four were acquitted.
Corruption-related cases in Delhi slid to 16 in 2016 from 64 in 2014 and constituted just 0.4% of the cases reported in this category. In the event, 23 people were charge-sheeted and nine arrested, with two being convicted and seven acquitted.
Last year, of the 2,60,069 cases of offences against property, the most (1,26,467) were reported in Delhi, followed by Bengaluru with 10,578 cases and Mumbai with 9,839 cases.
YEAR-WISE DEVELOPMENTS
November 2016- September 2017
From: Pradeep Thakur, 74% of all cases registered by ED on fraud, graft, November 20, 2017: The Times of India
See graphic:
Crimes against the Economy, November 2016- September 2017
The real threat to the Indian economy is from frauds, cheating and corruption which accounted for 74% of all cases registeredby theEnforcement Directorate in the last one year and not as much from drugs, narcotics or arms smuggling, according to a study conducted by the agency.
About 83% of all money laundering cases registered by the ED in the last one year are those related to financial institutions and real estate, and not linked to gold, arms or explosives catch. Gold related cases accounted for a mere 7% while others were 10%, the ED study said.
In an example cited for corruption involving a senior IAS officer, the agency said the accused was aided by his chartered accountant to operate 446 benami bank accounts for 13 shell companies. The IAS officer had deposited Rs 39 crore in these accounts between 2006-09.
The ED conducted the sample study as a risk assessment exercise focusing on cases booked by the agency post demonetisation between November 2016 and September 2017. Itfound that frauds and cheating were the two major threats to the Indian economy while the proceeds of crime were laundered through financial institutions using shell companies and investments in real estate.
“The vicious circle of illegal wealth is not only involved in domestic circular trading but has moved out of Indian borders. Banking channels are used and remittances are made using shell companies to avoid compliances. Such activities are known as tradebased money laundering,” the study said expressing concern on how regulatory mechanism has failed to curb generation of black money.
