Crime & Safety in West Bengal
Registered crime in West Bengal from NCRB Crime in India 2023, with India and metropolitan-city comparisons.
West Bengal registered about 1.8 lakh cognisable crimes in each year from 2021 to 2023. Its 2023 rate of 181.6 per lakh people is well below India's 448.3, and Kolkata has the lowest IPC rate of the 19 metropolitan cities. Crimes against women are the one group on this page where the state rate is above India's: 71.3 per lakh women against 66.2 nationally. These are registered cases, which depend on reporting as well as on incidence. Courts in the state convicted in 8.5% of the IPC trials they completed in 2023, the lowest rate of any state.
Key figures & data tables
West Bengal police registered 1,80,272 cognisable crimes in 2023: 1,56,237 under the Indian Penal Code and 24,035 under Special and Local Laws. That is 181.6 per lakh population against 448.3 for India (IPC 157.4 against 270.3; SLL 24.2 against 178). The state registered 1,81,821 cases in 2021. NCRB cautions that states should not be compared on crime figures alone.
Among the IPC heads listed below, West Bengal's rate is above India's for cruelty by husband or relatives, attempt to commit murder, kidnapping and abduction and criminal breach of trust. Crimes against women numbered 34,691 in 2023, or 71.3 per lakh women against 66.2 for India.
Kolkata registered 10,943 IPC cases in 2023, a rate of 77.5 per lakh, the lowest of the 19 metropolitan cities NCRB reports. The rate across all 19 cities was 585.2. City rates use Census 2011 population and are not comparable with state rates. NCRB does not publish district-wise figures in Crime in India.
Courts in West Bengal completed 55,162 IPC trials in 2023 and convicted in 4,688: a conviction rate of 8.5% against 54% for India, the lowest of the 28 states. 17,80,452 IPC cases were pending trial at the end of the year (pendency 97%). On 2025-12-01, the state's district and subordinate courts had 37.6 lakh pending cases (31.2 lakh criminal), ranking 3 among States and UTs.
West Bengal had 99,997 police in post against 1,65,069 sanctioned posts on 01.01.2023 (39.4% vacant): 101.13 per lakh people against 154.84 for India. Women were 9.6% of the force (India 12.32%). Its 60 jails held 25,774 inmates against a capacity of 21,476 (120% occupancy) on 31.12.2023, including 796 foreign convicts, 53.1% of India's total and the most of any State/UT.
60,282 people were reported missing in West Bengal in 2023, of whom 43,054 were female. Including those untraced from earlier years, 62,714 were traced during the year and 57,531 remained untraced. Police registered 56 human trafficking cases in 2023 (India 2,183), with 71 victims trafficked and 58 rescued.
The rows behind the charts above — 11 tables
›Cognisable crimes registered in West Bengal by year(3 rows)
Source: NCRB, Crime in India 2023, Vol I, Tables 1A.1-1A.3.
| Year | IPC | SLL | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 1,57,498 | 24,323 | 1,81,821 |
| 2022 | 1,56,503 | 24,036 | 1,80,539 |
| 2023 | 1,56,237 | 24,035 | 1,80,272 |
›Crime rate per lakh population, West Bengal and India, 2023(3 rows)
Source: NCRB, Crime in India 2023, Vol I, Tables 1A.1, 1A.2, 1A.3.
| Crime type | West Bengal | India |
|---|---|---|
| IPC | 157.4 | 270.3 |
| SLL | 24.2 | 178 |
| IPC + SLL | 181.6 | 448.3 |
›IPC crime heads in West Bengal: cases and rate against India(17 rows)
Source: NCRB, Crime in India 2023, Vol I, Table 1A.4 (IPC crime head-wise, 2023). Rates per lakh population; women-specific heads per lakh women.
| Crime head | Cases | WB rate | India rate | Rate base |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hurt (simple + grievous) | 23,797 | 24 | 45.7 | all |
| Cruelty by husband or relatives | 19,698 | 40.5 | 19.7 | women |
| Attempt to commit murder | 12,092 | 12.2 | 4.1 | all |
| Theft | 9,328 | 9.4 | 49.5 | all |
| Kidnapping and abduction | 8,233 | 8.3 | 8.2 | all |
| Cheating | 7,854 | 7.9 | 8.1 | all |
| Rash driving on public way | 5,689 | 5.7 | 37.8 | all |
| Death by negligence (road accidents) | 4,711 | 4.7 | 11.3 | all |
| Criminal breach of trust | 2,522 | 2.5 | 1.6 | all |
| Assault on women to outrage modesty | 2,479 | 5.1 | 12.4 | women |
| Murder | 1,686 | 1.7 | 2 | all |
| Forgery | 1,290 | 1.3 | 1.6 | all |
| Rape | 1,110 | 2.3 | 4.4 | women |
| Rioting | 477 | 0.5 | 2.8 | all |
| Dowry deaths | 350 | 0.7 | 0.9 | women |
| Robbery | 285 | 0.3 | 1.9 | all |
| Burglary | 81 | 0.1 | 7.7 | all |
›Crimes against specific groups in West Bengal(7 rows)
Source: NCRB, Crime in India 2023, Tables 3A.1, 4A.1, 6A.1, 7A.1, 7C.1, 8A.1, 9A.1. Rate per lakh of the group named.
| Category | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | WB rate | India rate | Rate base |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crimes against women | 35,884 | 34,738 | 34,691 | 71.3 | 66.2 | women |
| Crimes against children | 9,523 | 8,950 | 8,853 | 29.5 | 39.9 | children |
| Economic offences | 10,750 | 11,564 | 11,871 | 12 | 14.7 | all |
| Crimes against senior citizens | 304 | 403 | 311 | 4 | 26.9 | senior citizens (60+) |
| Cyber crimes | 513 | 401 | 309 | 0.3 | 6.2 | all |
| Atrocities against Scheduled Castes | 108 | 104 | 102 | 0.5 | 28.7 | SC population |
| Atrocities against Scheduled Tribes | 92 | 90 | 90 | 1.7 | 12.4 | ST population |
›IPC crime rate in India's 19 metropolitan cities, 2023(19 rows)
Source: NCRB, Crime in India 2023, Vol I, Table 1B.1. IPC crimes per lakh population. NCRB uses the Census 2011 city population for metro rates, so these rates are not comparable with state rates.
| City | IPC cases | Rate per lakh |
|---|---|---|
| Kolkata | 10,943 | 77.5 |
| Chennai | 15,698 | 180.5 |
| Coimbatore | 4,697 | 218.4 |
| Mumbai | 44,873 | 243.7 |
| Pune | 12,542 | 248.4 |
| Surat | 11,453 | 249.8 |
| Hyderabad | 21,774 | 281 |
| Kanpur | 10,652 | 364.8 |
| Ghaziabad | 9,227 | 391.1 |
| Ahmedabad | 29,238 | 460.3 |
| Bengaluru | 41,637 | 489.9 |
| Kozhikode | 10,605 | 522.2 |
| Lucknow | 16,023 | 552.3 |
| Nagpur | 17,297 | 692.4 |
| Patna | 14,317 | 699.4 |
| Indore | 18,126 | 836.5 |
| Jaipur | 29,971 | 975.3 |
| Kochi | 24,729 | 1,167.6 |
| Delhi City | 3,23,549 | 1,983.1 |
›IPC conviction and pendency rates by state, 2023(28 rows)
Source: NCRB, Crime in India 2023, Vol III, Table 18A.2 (court disposal of IPC crime cases, State/UT-wise). Conviction rate is cases convicted as a share of cases in which trials were completed during the year. IPC cases only. India: conviction 54%, pendency 88.3%.
| State | Trials completed | Conviction rate (%) | Pending trial at year end | Pendency (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mizoram | 2,012 | 95.1 | 3,078 | 59 |
| Kerala | 2,16,375 | 88.9 | 7,62,351 | 77.6 |
| Nagaland | 200 | 81 | 2,681 | 93 |
| Uttar Pradesh | 1,20,074 | 74.9 | 17,85,867 | 92.3 |
| Andhra Pradesh | 91,779 | 62.7 | 2,35,479 | 63.5 |
| Telangana | 65,127 | 59.1 | 3,64,899 | 77.6 |
| Tamil Nadu | 1,37,543 | 58.5 | 5,80,151 | 76.4 |
| Uttarakhand | 5,545 | 54.6 | 70,382 | 92.4 |
| Madhya Pradesh | 1,63,255 | 50.1 | 11,29,972 | 83.2 |
| Maharashtra | 1,60,640 | 49.3 | 22,31,851 | 92.4 |
| Rajasthan | 68,803 | 48.4 | 6,76,448 | 89.8 |
| Gujarat | 1,86,366 | 46.4 | 12,82,532 | 84.1 |
| Bihar | 17,137 | 43 | 17,62,042 | 98.9 |
| Punjab | 21,876 | 36.9 | 1,20,497 | 84.4 |
| Karnataka | 1,10,857 | 36 | 4,60,941 | 79.5 |
| Manipur | 41 | 34.1 | 5,770 | 98.8 |
| Meghalaya | 766 | 31.7 | 13,765 | 94.2 |
| Arunachal Pradesh | 616 | 31.3 | 27,720 | 97.2 |
| Haryana | 33,695 | 30.9 | 2,79,797 | 88.8 |
| Chhattisgarh | 39,335 | 29.6 | 2,37,558 | 83.8 |
| Odisha | 51,510 | 29.3 | 9,39,284 | 94.7 |
| Himachal Pradesh | 6,352 | 27.6 | 1,18,177 | 93.5 |
| Tripura | 1,618 | 27.2 | 20,463 | 90 |
| Goa | 1,388 | 25.8 | 15,408 | 90.3 |
| Jharkhand | 22,449 | 25.8 | 1,76,918 | 88.6 |
| Sikkim | 226 | 18.1 | 657 | 72.2 |
| Assam | 25,588 | 15.4 | 2,47,927 | 68.8 |
| West Bengal | 55,162 | 8.5 | 17,80,452 | 97 |
›Cases pending in district and subordinate courts by State/UT, 2025-12-01(36 rows)
Source: Rajya Sabha Unstarred Question 582, 04.12.2025 (Department of Justice), Annexure-I (National Judicial Data Grid, as on 01.12.2025).
| State/UT | Civil | Criminal | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uttar Pradesh | 18,01,130 | 95,05,500 | 1,13,06,630 |
| Maharashtra | 17,64,375 | 41,75,617 | 59,39,992 |
| West Bengal | 6,39,021 | 31,23,571 | 37,62,592 |
| Bihar | 5,38,043 | 31,59,519 | 36,97,562 |
| Rajasthan | 4,98,606 | 20,29,107 | 25,27,713 |
| Karnataka | 10,50,372 | 13,17,694 | 23,68,066 |
| Madhya Pradesh | 4,20,093 | 16,55,457 | 20,75,550 |
| Gujarat | 3,39,045 | 16,08,217 | 19,47,262 |
| Kerala | 5,41,526 | 12,46,732 | 17,88,258 |
| Odisha | 2,64,845 | 14,94,412 | 17,59,257 |
| Tamil Nadu | 7,05,029 | 10,28,527 | 17,33,556 |
| Delhi | 2,17,397 | 13,60,394 | 15,77,791 |
| Haryana | 4,24,182 | 10,95,953 | 15,20,135 |
| Telangana | 3,39,016 | 6,31,548 | 9,70,564 |
| Andhra Pradesh | 4,35,848 | 4,92,051 | 9,27,899 |
| Punjab | 3,65,234 | 5,55,640 | 9,20,874 |
| Himachal Pradesh | 1,76,534 | 4,49,951 | 6,26,485 |
| Jharkhand | 95,028 | 4,68,194 | 5,63,222 |
| Assam | 1,12,698 | 4,44,006 | 5,56,704 |
| Chhattisgarh | 84,370 | 3,83,214 | 4,67,584 |
| Jammu and Kashmir | 1,17,302 | 2,24,710 | 3,42,012 |
| Uttarakhand | 48,070 | 2,68,909 | 3,16,979 |
| Chandigarh | 22,858 | 79,321 | 1,02,179 |
| Tripura | 13,553 | 58,633 | 72,186 |
| Goa | 27,646 | 33,434 | 61,080 |
| Puducherry | 11,921 | 24,411 | 36,332 |
| Manipur | 9,857 | 6,421 | 16,278 |
| Meghalaya | 4,685 | 11,481 | 16,166 |
| Arunachal Pradesh | 2,343 | 8,635 | 10,978 |
| Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu | 3,644 | 4,748 | 8,392 |
| Andaman and Nicobar | 3,995 | 4,346 | 8,341 |
| Mizoram | 3,665 | 3,282 | 6,947 |
| Nagaland | 1,041 | 2,747 | 3,788 |
| Sikkim | 791 | 1,143 | 1,934 |
| Ladakh | 767 | 800 | 1,567 |
| Lakshadweep | 159 | 422 | 581 |
›Police per lakh population by state, 01.01.2023(28 rows)
Source: BPR&D, Data on Police Organisations (as on 01.01.2023), Tables 2.1.3, 3.1.1 and 3.2.1. Total police = civil + district armed reserve + state armed police + India Reserve Battalions.
| State | Sanctioned per lakh | Actual per lakh |
|---|---|---|
| Nagaland | 1,201.48 | 1,135.94 |
| Manipur | 1,093.8 | 941.63 |
| Sikkim | 999.56 | 834.4 |
| Arunachal Pradesh | 983.79 | 766.75 |
| Mizoram | 916.63 | 595.21 |
| Tripura | 719.04 | 555.57 |
| Goa | 687.84 | 498.47 |
| Meghalaya | 505.25 | 422.92 |
| Punjab | 278.39 | 241.02 |
| Himachal Pradesh | 257.71 | 240.4 |
| Chhattisgarh | 266.79 | 214.74 |
| Assam | 229.86 | 205.74 |
| Haryana | 292.15 | 199.08 |
| Uttarakhand | 193.45 | 183.96 |
| Andhra Pradesh | 200.4 | 165.89 |
| Telangana | 226.47 | 162.66 |
| Tamil Nadu | 172.56 | 159.54 |
| Jharkhand | 211.04 | 157.71 |
| Karnataka | 165.04 | 150.95 |
| Kerala | 172.73 | 150.68 |
| Maharashtra | 184.92 | 136.83 |
| Uttar Pradesh | 182.24 | 135.39 |
| Gujarat | 173.5 | 123.84 |
| Madhya Pradesh | 145.54 | 121.13 |
| Odisha | 150.99 | 120.58 |
| Rajasthan | 140.61 | 118.18 |
| West Bengal | 166.93 | 101.13 |
| Bihar | 114.57 | 81.49 |
›Jail occupancy in West Bengal by type of jail, 31.12.2023(7 rows)
Source: NCRB, Prison Statistics India 2023, Tables 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 2.17 and executive summary.
| Type of jail | Number | Capacity | Inmates | WB occupancy (%) | India occupancy (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| central | 8 | 13,848 | 13,598 | 98.2 | 120.7 |
| district | 13 | 3,818 | 6,051 | 158.5 | 136.6 |
| sub | 30 | 2,428 | 4,293 | 176.8 | 87.3 |
| women | 1 | 314 | 346 | 110.2 | 60.6 |
| open | 4 | 483 | 329 | 68.1 | 63.7 |
| special | 4 | 585 | 1,157 | 197.8 | 92.3 |
| all | 60 | 21,476 | 25,774 | 120 | 120.8 |
›Missing persons and children in West Bengal and India, 2023(4 rows)
Source: NCRB, Crime in India 2023, Vol III, Tables 15.1 (missing and traced children) and 15.2 (total missing and traced persons). NCRB's yearly caseload is persons still untraced from earlier years plus persons reported missing during the year. Traced counts those found during the year.
| Untraced from earlier years | Reported missing in year | Total | Traced | Traced (%) | Untraced at year end | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WB persons | 59,963 | 60,282 | 1,20,245 | 62,714 | 52.2 | 57,531 |
| WB children | 6,994 | 14,667 | 21,661 | 14,768 | 68.2 | 6,893 |
| India persons | 3,83,975 | 4,84,584 | 8,68,559 | 4,60,886 | 53.1 | 4,07,673 |
| India children | 47,313 | 91,296 | 1,38,609 | 89,809 | 64.8 | 48,800 |
›Human trafficking in West Bengal, 2021 to 2023(10 rows)
Source: NCRB, Crime in India 2023, Vol III, Tables 14.1 (cases), 14.2 (victims trafficked), 14.3 (rescued), 14.5 (purpose, rescued victims), 14.6 (disposal).
| Measure | West Bengal | India |
|---|---|---|
| Cases 2021 | 61 | |
| Cases 2022 | 67 | |
| Cases 2023 | 56 | 2,183 |
| Chargesheeting rate (%) | 94.1 | 90.9 |
| Victims trafficked | 71 | 6,288 |
| Victims rescued | 58 | 6,043 |
| Court conviction rate (%) | 15.7 | 10.5 |
| Rescued: Sexual exploitation for prostitution | 14 | |
| Rescued: Forced marriage | 2 | |
| Rescued: Other reasons | 42 |