Bhubaneswar, Sept 25: Crime cases in the capital city have witnessed a significant rise in the first six months of 2026, with the total number of cases increasing by 43% compared to the corresponding period last year, according to Commissionerate Police data.

Between January and June 2026, a total of 9,934 cases were registered in Bhubaneswar, compared with 6,968 cases during the same period in 2025.

Among major offences, theft cases increased by 16.3%, rising from 1,007 in 2025 to 1,171 in 2026.

Cases of cheating registered a 40.3% rise, while dacoity saw a sharp 200% increase. Five dacoity cases were reported between January and June 2025, compared with 15 during the same period this year.

Murder cases also increased by 18.8%, from 32 in 2025 to 38 in 2026. Road accident cases rose by 9.5%, from 464 to 508.

Cases of rioting and group clashes increased by 21.1%. However, some offences recorded a decline. Burglary cases fell by around 16%, from 157 to 132, while robbery declined by 3.2% and rape cases by 2.6%.

A senior police officer said that more than 70% of the total cases registered fall under the category of “miscellaneous cases”. These include minor incidents such as verbal disputes, non-violent assaults, abusive behaviour, cruelty towards animals, group disputes and other relatively minor offences.

According to the officer, the rise in overall registered cases is therefore partly driven by such miscellaneous offences. However, an increase in serious crimes would raise concerns over policing and crime control.

The data also comes against the backdrop of the Commissionerate Police placing greater emphasis on case disposal and closure since the beginning of 2026, even as the overall number of registered cases increased during the first half of the year.