BENGALURU: The Karnataka capital reported the highest number of cases in the country under the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961, with 878 incidents recorded in National Crime Records Bureau’s (NCRB) ‘Crime in India 2024’ report.Out of a total of 1,008 dowry-related cases registered across the country’s metropolitan cities, roughly 87% were from Bengaluru alone.In comparison, Lucknow, which is second on the list, reported only 48 cases.

Bengaluru recorded 25 dowry-related deaths in 2024.While the figure was lower than Delhi’s 109, it exceeded those reported in several other South Indian cities, including Chennai, Kozhikode, Kochi and Coimbatore, which recorded no such deaths during the year. Hyderabad reported 14 dowry deaths.Among crimes against women recorded under special and local laws (SLL), Bengaluru topped all metropolitan cities with 1,051 incidents. In terms of incidents where criminal force was used to outrage a woman’s modesty, Bengaluru logged the highest number of cases at 897, followed by Mumbai with 857.Karnataka recorded 2,947 cases of cruelty against wives by husbands or in-laws. Uttar Pradesh reported the highest number of such cases at 21,266, followed by Rajasthan with 10,578 and Maharashtra with 10,538.

