Women partners in crime?

S Shanthi & Amrita Singh / TNN / Jan 28, 2007, 00:35 IST

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According to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), the number of women arrested for crimes in Delhi increased from 2.7% in 2004 to 3.8% in 2005.

NEW DELHI: A woman can be really vicious in the lust for love and power �� these were the words of additional sessions judge in Delhi, Bharat Parashar, while announcing life sentence on 34-year-old Sharda Jain for getting 51-year-old Atma Ram killed because of his growing affinity for a woman councillor.
This case is not a one-off. Most cities, particularly the metros, have been witnessing a rise in crimes committed by women.
According to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), the number of women arrested for crimes in Delhi increased from 2.7% in 2004 to 3.8% in 2005. In Delhi's Tihar jail, as against 490 women convicts last year, there are 525 this year.
What's also changed over the years is the nature of crime committed by women. Experts say till recently, women were mostly involved in drug trafficking and prostitution, but now they are also indulging in murder and kidnapping. As per NCRB records, 3,543 women were arrested for murder in the country in 2005.

Last year also saw women being awarded the death sentence for the first time in the country. Two sisters from Maharashtra, along with their mother, kidnapped 13 children from towns across Maharashtra and killed nine of them between 1990 and 96. The killers are now on the death row.
Though female serial killers are few in number, psychologists believe that women are better strategists than men and have a number of physiological advantages while committing a crime.

For instance, while they can endure police pressure as much as men, women often come out as stronger and tougher.
In his book 'Serial Murderers And Their Victims', Eric Hickey describes female murderers as quiet killers. His study of these women has led him to believe that unlike their bombastic and zealous male counterparts, female serial killers are more subtle.
They are sly, deliberate and careful in plotting their murders and in committing them. Scenes of bloody rampages are rare, replaced by modus operandi like poisoned foodstuff and staged domestic accidents.
Women are also being recruited in gangs. If a woman approaches a man or another woman to elicit information, that person is likely to feel less threatened than if it were a man, says psychologist Rajat Mitra.
In situations involving female suspects, male policemen fear frisking or apprehending them.
These women are so well trained that the moment they sense trouble, they start screaming and shouting to attract peoples attention and unnerve the police guys who then let them go, he adds.
The mindset that women should always be treated in a polite way should change. When it comes to crime, they should be treated at par with men, says Deependra Pathak, ACP, Delhi.
Women who commit crime for easy money mostly fall in the age group of 21-30. They are equally tempted by material and consumer goods, be it mobile phones, iPods or other modern gadgets.

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