With Delhi maintaining lead as the crime capital of the country, experts attribute lack of resources, police-criminal nexus and slow judicial process as some of the reasons behind the rising crime graph.

The Union Home Ministry, in its latest study, has listed Delhi as on the top in incidents of crime in the country for the fifth consecutive year.

"The main reason for the increasing crime graph is primarily absence of resources and attitude of keeping figures low," says retired super cop Kiran Bedi [Images].

Social activist Swami Agnivesh says, social and economic disparity coupled with "nexus between criminals and police" along with a "slow judicial process" act as a catalyst in increasing crime graph.

"Delhi has become a 'mayanagri' of artificial development. There is a huge gap between the rich and the poor. About one-third of the city population lives in slums. They live in inhuman conditions devoid of any basic amenities. In these inhuman conditions crime flourishes," says the Swami.

The latest report of the National Crime Records Bureau by the Union Home Ministry says Delhi occupies the top slot for almost all violent crimes, including murder, rape, dowry death, molestation, kidnapping and abduction.

Psychiatrist Samir Parekh agrees with Swami. "Owing to the vast socio-economic disparity, there is an aggression among the people. This aggression has not properly been dealt with which results in the growth of criminal psychology among the masses," he says.

"Also, people have become habituated with crime. Owing to the slow judicial process, there develops a feeling where a criminal think that he/she can easily get away with after committing a crime," says Parekh. The NCRB study reveals the streets of Delhi cannot really be considered safe for a midnight stroll.

As many as 53,244 criminal cases, including 467 murders, 581 rapes, 1,764 dacoity and other heinous crimes, were registered in Delhi during the year.

The cases of attempted murders also rose by 1.22 per cent in 2007 from 493 to 499.

The NCRB report says India has earned the dubious distinction of being the country where maximum number of murders take place in the world.

According to the report, in 2006-07 India recorded 32,719 incidences of murder. The numbers in the US was 16,692 murders and 9,631 in Pakistan.

The report also reveals that of the people arrested in rape cases, 340 were neighbours, 94 were friends and 62 were relatives. Only in 10 cases, the accused were strangers.