Bhubaneswar: The Capital city witnessed a surge in unnatural deaths under various police stations during 2020. Unnatural deaths include accidental deaths, suicides, deaths due to complications in surgery, attack by some wild animal like snakes etc.
In 2019, as many as 1,483 unnatural death cases were registered at various police stations in the city. The number rose to 1,583 in 2020 registering a 6 per cent rise, said sources at the Commissionerate Police.
Most of the unnatural death cases have been reported at police stations like Khandagiri, Capital, Nayapalli and Mancheswar.
However, the city registered a decline in various serious crimes during 2020. The cognisable crimes are serious in nature that include rape, murder, kidnapping, unnatural offence, dowry death etc.
A police officer has the power to arrest the suspect in cognisable offence without warrant while the police require the permission of magistrate to arrest the suspect in non-cognisable offences.
According to the data, as many as 8,229 cognisable cases were registered at various police stations in the city during 2019. However, the city witnessed 7,671 cognisable crimes in 2020.
Major police stations like Chandrasekharpur, Nayapalli and Sahid Nagar have registered significant decline in the registration of cognizable cases in 2020.
In 2019, 705 serious crimes were registered in Sahid Nagar as against 542 in 2020. As many as 632 cognisable cases registered with the Mancheswar police in 2019 which decreased to 455 in 2020.
However, the registration of cognisable cases increased in Khandagiri, Capital, Airport and Airfield police stations. Khandagiri police station witnessed a significant rise in the registration of various cognisable cases in 2020. In 2019, 760 serious crimes had taken place in Khandagiri area that rose to 888 in 2020 registering an increase of around 17 per cent.
As many as 593 serious cases were reported at Capital police station as against 501in the previous year.