275 rape cases in cop custody in 5 yrs!

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: For those who thought that being in the custody of the police was safe enough, this could come as a bit of a dampener.

More than 275 cases of ‘rape in police custody’ were registered from 2017 to 2022, according to a National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data.

Women’s rights activists have alleged that such incidents are happening due to a lack of sensitivity and accountability.

"The number of such cases has declined in recent years. 89 cases were registered in 2017, 60 in 2018, 47 in 2019, 29 in 2020, 26 in 2021 and 24 in 2022," the statistics said.

Of the 275 custodial rape cases registered since 2017, Uttar Pradesh has recorded the highest number of cases at 92 while secondplaced Madhya Pradesh registered 43 cases.

In such custodial cases, criminals abuse their power to coerce women sexually.