Cleared – mani
Chennai: Tamil Nadu recorded a sharp decline in the number of murders and violent crimes, with the state witnessing its lowest number of homicides in over a decade.

According to statistics released by the state DGP’s office on Thursday, in 2024 there were 1,563 murders, which was the least reported in the past 12 years. The downward trend continued into 2025, with 340 murders being registered in the first quarter (between Jan and March), as compared to 352 during the same period last year.
A key contributor to this reduction was the effective containment of rowdy-related murders, which hit a six-year low in 2024, it said. Police credit this to a multi-layered enforcement strategy that combined preventive detention, focused surveillance, and trial-level interventions.
Also, the Tamil Nadu police detained a record 3,645 history-sheeters under preventive detentionst in 2024. This aggressive approach marked a sharp rise from the 1,929 detentions in 2019 and surpassed the numbers recorded in 2022 and 2023.
The department also undertook a detailed re-categorisation of rowdy elements based on their current activity, reducing the number of high-risk A-plus category and A-category offenders by over 50%. This enabled officers to narrow their focus on the most dangerous individuals, the statement said.
The increased vigilance inside prisons, where conspiracies for revenge killings are often hatched helped preempt several planned murders.
In 2024, police secured at least 242 convictions, including 10-year or more jail term for 150 individuals, it said, adding that this rate is the highest in the past 12 years.
Also, for the first time, police are systematically working to dismantle the financial networks that support organised crime. Forty-one notorious individuals were identified for financial probes, it said.
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