Rayagada (Odisha) [India], May 28 : Following a warning issued by Odisha Director General of Police (DGP) Y B Khurania, Rayagada Superintendent of Police (SP) Raj Prasad said that police are maintaining strict surveillance over criminal activities in the district and taking preventive measures to ensure effective monitoring of criminals.
While speaking with ANI, SP Prasad said, "With respect to crime and criminals, our respective surveillance over their activities will be ensured. All the preventive measures will be pursued so that their activities are monitored. There will be an effective check on the criminal activity in the district."
According to data by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), crimes against women and children are up by 5.6% in Odisha from 2024 to 2025, raising concerns over the day-by-day increase in heinous crimes against women and children, including rape, molestation, and murder.
Looking back, 2024 saw a notable 8% increase in rape cases compared to 2023, rising from 2,826 to 3,054. Overall cognizable crimes in the state jumped from 2,14,113 in 2024 to 2,29,881 in 2025, a 7.3% rise, with Bhubaneswar recording an even sharper 8.65% increase.Murder cases edged up marginally from 1,258 in 2024 to 1,304 in 2025.
NCRB's Crime in India 2023 report placed Odisha among states with high crime rates against women, recording 25,914 cases that year (a 9.6% jump from 23,648 in 2022), with a conviction rate as low as 6.9%, far below the national average. The state has consistently ranked high in crimes against women in recent NCRB data.
Crimes against children paint an equally grim picture.NCRB 2023 data showed 8,577 crimes against children in Odisha, up from 8,240 in 2022 and 7,899 in 2021. Kidnapping accounted for about 41% of these cases. Under the POCSO Act, thousands of sexual offence cases involving minors were reported, with a significant portion concerning girls.