Maharashtra has emerged as the state with the highest number of crimes against children in the country, recording 24,171 cases in 2024, according to the latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data analysed by Child Rights Organisation Child Rights and You (CRY).

The state also reported the highest number of kidnapping and abduction cases involving children at 12,994, the maximum across India. In terms of crime rate per lakh child population, Maharashtra stood second with 66.9, after Madhya Pradesh.