Annual round-up: TG Railway police records over 2,600 cases, low detection in theft cases

Secunderabad Railway Police seized ganja, rescued children, and improved crime detection rates, focusing on theft and suspicious death cases.

Over 1,194 kg of ganja worth ₹2.98 crore being transported to or via Secunderabad Railway Station during 2024 was seized by Government Railway Police (GRP), Secunderabad. As per the information shared by the department during the annual round-up, 53 peddlers were arrested across 38 different cases and put behind bars during this period. A total of 56 cases were reported under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

As many as 84 children were rescued, including 59 boys and 25 girls, as part of Operations Smile and Muskan. These children were handed over to the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) for rehabilitation. The operations also resulted in six First Information Reports (FIRs) being registered.

Of the 2,623 cases booked by the Secunderabad Railway Police this year, 56% or 1,468 were cases under 174 CrPC (suspicious deaths) which include suicides, accidents as well as homicides. A majority (1,233) cases were detected while 245 remained undetected.

Thefts were the next most prominent crime with 901 cases reported. Of these, 142 were detected and another 39 were PT (Prisoner in Transit) cases. Authorities apprehended 121 offenders, recovering property worth over ₹37.19 lakh, recording a property recovery rate of 10.81%. The case detection rate stood at 15.56%.

The department recorded an overall detection rate of about 25%, including 87.50% in robbery cases, 66.67% in attempt-to-murder cases, 73.17% in missing cases, 50% in rape cases, 28.57% in kidnapping cases and 11.57% in Excise Act cases among others.

“While a modest detection rate was recorded across many crime heads, the number was unsatisfactory for theft cases. This has been due to multiple challenges, including the non-availability of functioning CCTV cameras in all areas and the fact that offenders involved are from various parts of the country,” explained Superintendent of Police, Railways, Chandana Deepti.

Detection of suspicious death cases was another area which improvement is needed, the official said. In cases of accidents, victim families can claim insurance, which makes it even more important to detect and thoroughly investigate such cases, she added.