Theft has emerged as the most common crime in New Delhi and Mumbai.

Mobile phones were most commonly lost in Mumbai and Delhi followed by luggage and theft of wallet, purse or cash. This has emerged in a public survey conducted by Nielsen India Pvt Ltd and Commonwealth Health Rights Initiative. A majority of those affected by theft, mostly from middle and low-income families, in both Delhi and Mumbai, chose not to report it to the police.

Of the 650 cases of theft reported in Delhi, only 336 were reported to the police, while in Mumbai only 383 of the 874 theft cases were reported to respective police stations. The primary reason, cited in the survey — 65 per cent in Delhi and 69 per cent in Mumbai — for not reporting to the police, was to avoid getting into legal hassles. The crime victimisation and safety perception survey, conducted between July 2014 and June 2015, indicates that 85 per cent of Delhi citizens and 71 from Mumbai thought the police would not entertain their complaint. What is a cause for concern is that the survey indicates that 71 per cent of Mumbaikars and 54 per Delhiites did not think that police could do anything about the theft. Full Article