T'PURAM: The number of criminal cases in the state involving guest workers is steadily on the rise, with post-Covid period marking a significant increase, shows a home department data. The crimes against children too have risen significantly, with 32,466 cases registered in the state in the last seven years.
As per the statistics, since 2016 till August this year, 6,794 cases have been registered in the state wherein guest workers are the accused. Of these, 161 are murder cases and 834 are regarding atrocities against women and children. There was a minor dip in such cases during the Covid-hit 2020 when most guest labourers had returned to their home states. However, the present year and last year have shown a significant increase in the number of crimes involving guest workers. While it was 1,348 last year, the number of cases is 1,336 by August this year.
While it is a fact that the government does not have a clear and fool-proof database or even the exact number of the guest workers in the state, the recent efforts to create a database through registration on the portal has not been fully successful. The chief minister had last Tuesday stated in the assembly that though efforts are on to collect the whereabouts of guest workers engaging in criminal activities, the police have limitations in collecting data of those reaching the state after committing crimes in their home states. The accused in the rape and murder of a minor girl in Aluva was accused in similar cases outside the state.
Also, there has been a significant increase in the number of cases registered for atrocities against children in the state since 2016. As many as 4,536 cases were registered in 2021, and 5,315 cases in 2022. The first seven months of 2023 saw 3,226 cases being registered. Though all these cases need not necessarily be registered under the protection of children from sexual offences (Pocso) Act, a significant number of cases have attracted provisions of the act, as per top police sources.
Regarding the trial and disposal of cases that have attracted sections of Pocso, 8,506 cases are pending for disposal in the fast-track courts established for such cases in the state. Some cases date back to 2010. The pendency is the highest in Thiruvananthapuram (1,384), followed by Ernakulam (1,147) and Malappuram (1,139) districts.