Odisha witnessed 542 cases of cybercrime against women in 2022, which is the highest in India, according to the latest report released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).

Of the 542 cases, 269 were recorded for publishing or transmitting sexually explicit material and the remaining 273 were registered under other cybercrimes, including blackmailing, defamation, morphing and fake profiles, the report said.

Odisha also reported the second-highest cases of publishing or transmitting sexually explicit material in the country, while Uttar Pradesh topped the list with 450 cyber pornography crimes against 455 women.

Similarly, a total of 273 cases from Odisha were victims of cyber morphing, the highest among the states, and Uttarakhand ranked second with 75 such cases and Tamil Nadu third with 24.

The eastern state reported the maximum number of trafficked people in the country in 2022.

As many as 1,120 people, including 502 women, were trafficked in Odisha last year followed by Maharashtra (805 victims).

At least 353 of the trafficked victims in Odisha were below 18 years and of whom, 140 were girls. The state rescued 1,816 victims, who were trafficked before and in 2022, the report said.

Crimes against senior citizens and children have increased in the state last year.

Altogether 8,240 cases of crime against children were reported in Odisha in 2022, up from 7,899 in 2021 and 6,330 in 2020.

Similarly, offences against senior citizens saw an alarming increase to 551 cases in 2022, more than double from 210 in 2021.

However, the state witnessed a decline in cases of crime against women in 2022.

As many as 23,648 cases of crime against women were reported in the state last year, down from 31,352 in 2021.

With eight murders stemming from political rivalry in 2022, Odisha was ranked second behind Jharkhand (17) in the country.

Odisha reported 224 cases of riots over political rivalry, which was also the second highest after Kerala’s 301 in 2022.

Moreover, the eastern state registered 85 cases relating to disproportionate assets against corrupt public servants in 2022, which is also the highest in the country.

Karnataka and Bihar ranked second and third by registering 56 and 48 such cases during the year, the report added.

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