If you are a commuter of Delhi Metro, use caution while passing through interchange metro stations where snatchers, thieves and other miscreants are waiting for their prey. One needs to be extra cautious at especially five major interchange metro stations.
This was revealed by the Delhi Metro Police in a Right to Information (RTI) reply. They said the five interchange stations are Kashmere Gate, Rajiv Chowk, Yamuna Bank, Anand Vihar and Hauz Khas where one-fourth of the total crime committed at all the metro stations in Delhi take place.
It may be noted here that these metro stations witness a maximum number of footfalls every day.
Kashmere Gate
Among the five metro stations notorious for crimes, Kashmere Gate (KG) is favourite haunt for ruffians since most of the criminal activities have been reported from here.
According to the RTI reply, as many as 5,110 incidents of crimes were reported at KG metro station in the last five years, which is way higher than the crimes at other metro stations in Delhi.
With 2,936 criminal incidents reported in the last five years, Rajiv Chowk metro station stood second.
These overcrowded metro stations offer a big advantage to such antisocial elements, who roam around in search of their target and disappear in the crowd after committing the crime.
Interestingly, the crime ratio at these metro stations didn’t change and remained constant even last year.
As per the data, the number of crimes took place in the year 2021 at metro stations was 2,091. Of these, 500 incidents (about 25 percent) took place at these five interchange metro stations.
Five-year crime graph
| Year | Total Cases | Kashmere Gate | Rajiv Chowk | Yamuna Bank | Anand Vihar | Hauz Khas |
| 2017 | 12777 | 2702 | 1385 | 250 | 112 | 57 |
| 2018 | 5374 | 963 | 584 | 102 | 73 | 132 |
| 2019 | 6701 | 888 | 784 | 113 | 85 | 179 |
| 2020 | 2268 | 216 | 56 | 22 | 23 | 21 |
| 2021 | 2091 | 141 | 127 | 91 | 70 | 18 |
Unaffected by pandemic
Even during Covid-19 outbreak, when the metro was either closed for most of the time or a small number of passegers were allowed to travel, crimes at metro stations continued unabated.
Despite being in the grip of the first wave of the Covid pandemic in the year 2020, the Delhi Metro witnessed 2,266 cases of snatching and theft. What’s all the more shocking was that, a case of rape was also reported that year whereas during the deadliest second and the third wave of pandemic in the year 2021, 2,090 crime cases were reported in Delhi Metro.
Crimes at Indralok
During the last five years, Indralok metro station recorded a surge in crime taking the sixth spot in the list. As many as 187 incidents of crime reported under the jurisdiction of this metro station, which is an interchange junction for Red and Green Line.
Unsafe transition
According to a police official, commuters are mostly targeted while changing the train. The swindlers keep tracing their prey throughout the metro station and target them as soon as they get a chance.
Inter-zone stations are the ones with heavy footfalls every day. Usually, people change platforms from one metro line to another. Due to overcrowding at these stations, the criminals get enough time to carry out theft or snatching. To avoid being caught, they join the crowd after commiting a crime.
Many a time, they ambush near their victim at the doors of metros, and snatches mobile or other expensive items just before doors are closed.
Security system
Apart from the Delhi Metro Police, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) is deployed at the Delhi Metro stations. The CISF is responsible for the security of metro premises. It is the CISF which ensures security by passenger screening, station checking, search in metro trains and at platforms.
The Delhi Metro Police is responsible for all the legal action taken for a crime taking place inside the metro premises. To monitor legal action, there are 16 police stations at 16 different metro stations. Along with police teams of metro police stations, a team of special staff is deployed in Delhi Metros.
Tips for safe commute
– Be careful while getting down or boarding the metro train and be attentive to your belongings.
– Stay in the lines while boarding the train and avoid being part of the crowd while entering a metro train.
– Keep your baggage in the front while travelling and don’t lose hold of your belongings, even while sitting in the metro.
– Put your luggage in the X-Bis machine during security checks only when it’s your turn. Avoid putting things on the machine belt while you are standing in the queue.
– If not necessary, avoid keeping mobile in your hand while boarding or de-boarding the train. It can be snatched before you get any clue.