Crime in India 2016: statistics
More than 8,000 cases of human trafficking were reported in India in 2016, while 23,000 victims, including 182 foreigners, were rescued during the year, according to National Crime Records Bureau data. Last year, a total of 8,132 cases were reported from across the country compared to the 6,877 cases in 2015. Of the total 15,379 victims in these cases, 58 % were below the age of 18 years, according to the latest NCRB statistics on crime released for 2016. West Bengal topped the list in reported cases of human trafficking at 3,579, accounting for 44 % of total cases in the country. The state had reported 1,255 such cases in 2015, when it ranked second only to Assam. Assam reported 91 cases of human trafficking in 2016, witnessing a drastic reduction since 2015 when it ranked first in the country with 1,494 such incidents. Rajasthan with 1,422 cases was second on the list for reported human trafficking incidents in 2016, followed by Gujarat, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. In 2015, Rajasthan had reported 131 cases of human trafficking while Gujarat had registered 47. Delhi is 14th in this list for 2016 with 66 reported cases of human trafficking, down from 87 such cases in 2015.