The Rayagada district police are maintaining strict surveillance over criminal activities and implementing preventive measures to effectively monitor offenders.

Superintendent of Police Raj Prasad stated, “With respect to crime and criminals, our respective surveillance over their activities will be ensured. All the preventive measures will be pursued so that their activities are monitored. There will be an effective check on the criminal activity in the district.”

This follows a warning issued by Odisha Director General of Police Y B Khurania regarding rising crime rates. Data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) shows that crimes against women and children in Odisha increased by 5.6% from 2024 to 2025, raising concerns about escalating heinous offences including rape, molestation, and murder.

In 2024, the number of rape cases increased by 8% compared to 2023, rising from 2,826 to 3,054. Overall cognisable crimes in the state rose by 7.3%, from 214,113 in 2024 to 229,881 in 2025, with Bhubaneswar experiencing an even sharper increase of 8.65%. Murder cases increased slightly from 1,258 in 2024 to 1,304 in 2025.

The NCRB Crime in India 2023 report placed Odisha among the states with high crime rates against women, recording 25,914 cases that year-an increase of 9.6% from 23,648 in 2022. The state had a conviction rate of just 6.9%, well below the national average, and has consistently ranked high in crimes against women in recent NCRB data.