From fake social media profiles and online blackmail to rising drug trafficking networks and cyber-enabled frauds, Himachal Pradesh is witnessing a worrying shift in the nature of crime despite continuing to remain among the country’s relatively low-crime states.
The latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report for 2024 shows that the hill state, traditionally considered safer in terms of conventional crime, is increasingly facing technology-driven offences targeting vulnerable groups and unsuspecting internet users.
According to the report, Himachal Pradesh recorded 148 cybercrime cases in 2024, continuing a steady rise over the past three years. The state had registered 127 such cases in 2023 and 77 in 2022, indicating a sharp upward trend in digital offences. The growing penetration of smartphones, online banking and social media platforms in rural and semi-urban areas is being seen as a major factor behind the increase.
Fraud-related offences accounted for the largest share of cybercrime cases. Of the 148 cases registered in 2024, 114 were linked to fraud, including 98 cases of cheating by impersonation. In many of these incidents, fraudsters allegedly posed as bank officials, customer-care executives, government representatives or acquaintances to dupe victims through OTP scams, fake calls and fraudulent payment links.
The NCRB report also recorded 37 cases involving transmission of sexually explicit or obscene material in electronic form. These offences included the circulation of objectionable videos, morphed photographs and explicit content through social media and messaging platforms.
The data indicates that online harassment of women is emerging as a growing concern in the state. Police officials have repeatedly flagged incidents in which women were targeted through fake social media accounts, edited photographs and threats to circulate personal content online.
Cyber offences involving children also reflected worrying trends. Himachal Pradesh recorded 44 cybercrime cases involving minors in 2024, including online exploitation, circulation of objectionable material, cyberbullying and misuse of digital platforms targeting children.
Overall, Himachal Pradesh registered 12,071 IPC/BNS cognisable crimes and 5,844 cases under Special and Local Laws (SLL) during 2024, slightly lower than the 13,505 IPC/BNS cases and 6,482 SLL cases recorded in 2023.
While the state’s IPC/BNS crime rate stood at 44.1 per lakh population—significantly lower than the national average of 252.3—the report points to changing criminal patterns that are becoming increasingly complex for law enforcement agencies to tackle.
The state recorded 1,605 cases of crimes against women in 2024, almost unchanged from 1,604 cases in 2023. Himachal Pradesh also reported 324 rape cases, including attempts to rape, during the year, slightly down from 344 in 2023. The crime rate against women stood at 43.3, while the charge-sheeting rate was 69.7 per cent.
Crimes against children remained another area of concern, with the state registering 819 such cases during 2024.
The NCRB report further revealed a sharp rise in violent crimes. Himachal Pradesh recorded 3,629 violent crimes in 2024 compared to 2,548 in 2023, marking a steep increase over the previous year. However, murder cases declined marginally from 93 in 2023 to 84 in 2024, keeping the state’s murder rate below the national average.
