By IANS,
New Delhi : At least nine people aged 50 years and above are murdered and many more fall prey to heinous crimes across the country every day, áccording to official figures released Tuesday.
According to the data compiled by the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB), 3,368 murder cases of senior citizens and those over 50 were registered across the police stations in India, up from 3,215 in 2005.
In 2004, a total of 3,149 such cases had come to light.
The figures, tabled in the Lok Sabha by Minister of State for Home Radhika V. Selvi, showed that a total of 275 cases of culpable homicide not amounting to murder were registered in 2006.
There were 333 such cases in 2005 and 356 in 2004.
The national capital, where 17 (11 male and six female) senior citizens were murdered last year also witnessed an increase in the number of crimes against the elderly.
In 2007, there were at least 17 murders with elderly people as victims in the capital. The figure was 12 in 2006 and 16 in 2005. Upto Feb 15 this year, one senior person has fallen prey to killers.
The attempt to murder cases, however, remained low with only one instance in 2007. In 2006, such cases were two in comparison to five in 2005.
Instances of robbery and dacoity against senior citizens also showed a downward trend. In 2007, nine cases were registered against 10 and 15 in 2006 and 2005 respectively.
Selvi informed the house that Delhi Police have taken a number of steps for safety and welfare of senior citizens in the capital.