The Hyderabad City Police Annual Report for 2025 has revealed a troubling paradox: while overall crime in the city dropped by 15 per cent, violence against women and children saw a significant uptick. According to the data, crimes against women rose by six per cent— from 2,482 cases in 2024 to 2,625 this year. Even more disturbing is the 27 per cent surge in offences under the POCSO Act, with cases involving children jumping from 449 to 568.
Closer look at the figures reveals that the nature of the crimes has subtly changed. In fact, there was some cheering news as incidents of rape declined 31 per cent and kidnappings of women registered a 27 per cent drop. These gains, however, were more than offset by a steep 31 pc increase in cases of domestic cruelty by husbands, making it the single most important reason for the overall rise in crimes against women. Outraging the modesty of women also recorded just a marginal decline.
The police report also highlighted the active role of specialised units like the SHE Teams and Bharosa centres in tackling these issues. In 2025, Bharosa centres — which provide legal and psychological support — secured 34 convictions, including eight life sentences, and facilitated ₹72 lakh in compensation for victims. The SHE Teams were equally busy, handling over 3,800 cases and catching 374 offenders red-handed. On the administrative side, Women Police Stations registered more than 1,000 cases specifically related to dowry harassment and domestic cruelty under the new provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Child protection activities were another area that received prominence throughout the year. The rescue operation activities, including Operation Muskan and Operation Smile, saw a total of 2,143 children rescued in the year 2025. In addition to this, the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit arrested 83 people and rescued 111 victims in 41 cases that are registered. Although the number of children rescued is quite high, the number of POCSO cases is a challenge that the department will face in the new year.
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