Woman doctor found murdered at her Delhi flat, police suspects absconding neighbours

A 25-year-old woman doctor was found murdered at her flat in central Delhi’s Ranjit Nagar area on Wednesday. The victim has been identified as Dr Garima Mishra. Originally from Uttar Pradesh’s Gorakhpur, Dr Mishra was staying in the Capital and preparing for upcoming MD exams. Initial reports suggest that Delhi Police is interrogating people living in the vicinity. Two neighbours including a doctor is missing since the murder came to light. Police are suspecting the absconding doctor for allegedly murdering Dr Mishra. The body has been sent to the Lady Hardinge Medical College. And the post-mortem will be conducted once the parents of the victim reach Delhi.

The incident is a stark reminder of high crime rate in the National Capital. A 2018 report had revealed that there was a 6% increase in the total number of crimes registered under the Indian Penal Code. The data released by Delhi Police said that as many as 2,36,476 IPC cases were registered last year, up from 2,23,077 in 2017. In percentage terms, the number of cases filed rose by 6.01%. However, the total number of crimes such as rape, attempt to murder and abduction, among others, have declined by 29.48%.

While total heinous crime in 2018 showed a 11.72% drop, cases of dacoity, attempt to murder, robbery, rape and riot have gone down by 36.11%, 16.26%, 20.15%, 0.78% and 54% respectively, as compared to the year before. Even incidents of snatching and burglary showed a declining trend.

However, there has been an increase in the number of murders, with 477 cases registered in 2018 as compared to 462 in 2017. Out of these, 86.16 per cent cases were solved. The incidents of murder, per lakh of population, showed a significant decline over the last 14 years, coming down to 2.60% last year from 3.29% in 2004.