India records 34,600 rape cases

The rape victims included women across all age groups, from under six years of age to over 60, according to data from the Indian National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) released on Wednesday.

India has long been struggling with widespread sexual attacks on women, but the issue only gained global attention with the 2012 Delhi gang rape case. The number of cases of rape reported has been growing ever since.

NCRB said that 34,651 rapes were reported in 2015 across the country. India's current population is believed to be above 1.3 billion. Almost 34,000 of the victims knew their alleged rapists, according to statistics quoted in The Indian Express newspaper.

Officials noted almost 950 more reports of rape in 2015 compared to the year before.

Danger in Delhi

The rape claims are only a part of sexual offenses against women. There are also attempts to commit rape, assault on women with intent to outrage her modesty and insult to the modesty of women. The authorities recorded over 130,000 of these offenses last year.

Officials also provided figures for India's seven territories and 29 states, which differ widely in terms of average earnings and urbanization.

India's capital territory of Delhi remains the most dangerous territory for women, with over 9,100 sexual offenses reported during last year. The numbers include almost 2,200 reports of rape, or six reports per day.

The central state of Madhya Pradesh topped the list with close to 4,400 reported rapes, closely followed by Maharashtra which contains India's most populous city, Mumbai.