In 98 per cent of registered cases of rapes in the country, close relatives and acquaintances are the accused, National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) said in its 2012 report.
According to NCRB's report 'Crime in India-2012', a total of 24,923 rape cases were registered last year, and in 24,470 cases of them, the accused were either relatives or acquaintances of the victims.
This means out of 100 cases of rape, 98 were committed by relatives or persons known to the victims.
In Madhya Pradesh, a total of 3,425 rape cases were registered in 2012 and in all these cases, the accused were known to the victims in some way or the other.
In Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, a total of 2,013 and 1,953 rape cases were registered respectively, where the culprits were also known to the victims.
Terming these figures as alarming, noted psychologist from Indore Dr Deepak Mansharamani said, "These figures reflect that moral values and mental disorder have reached a dangerous level in the society."
He also blamed free availability of sex-related material on various mediums (audio-visual) for the growing disorder in the society on the issue.
