More murders are committed in India than in any other country in the world, according to figures released in Delhi, BBC online reports Monday.
A new government report says 32.719 murder cases were registered last year, double the figure in the US and three times more than in Pakistan.
Experts say the real crime rate in India is even higher with many cases going unreported. South Africa has the highest murder rate, taking into account population size, it says.
Overall, five million cases of crime, including murder, rape and drug offences, were reported in India in 2007-08, the report compiled by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) says. The rate of murder in India is three per 100.000 people while that of rape is four in 100.000, according to the report.
The reports authors say India is followed closely by South Africa with 30.960 murders. However, taking into account population differences, South Africa emerges as a much more dangerous place, with 65,27 murders per 100.000 people and 115,8 rapes per 100.000 people.
