Crime Amid Pandemic: A Study in Smart Cities of Eastern India

The novel coronavirus COVID-19 impacted every aspect of public and professional life. The repercussions of limited human contact, anxiety, unemployment, financial instability, and increased domestic conflict and discord have led to the reflux of many criminal activities. The current study aimed to explore the scenario and the circumstances which the citizens living in Smart Cities of Eastern India have undergone during the pandemic concerning the occurrence of criminal activities in their respective cities. The study also tries to find out the reasons for the rise in criminal activities amidst such stringent situations as the pandemic saw a rise, especially of the first-time criminals. The study was conducted in December 2020 via a comprehensive questionnaire that was sent to the respondents living in the smart cities of Eastern India through the electronic platform for their response. The collected data were analyzed using the conventional analysis approach. According to the results, though crimes like murder, rape, and eve-teasing have drastically decreased but crimes like cyber fraud, domestic violence, elder and children abuse, even snatching have escalated.