"In March, the major crime in Meerut reduced to at least 20-25 per cent especially crimes like murder, robbery, etc. This is due to the lockdown and 24x7 checking being done by the police," Prashant Kumar, Meerut Additional Director General of Police (ADG) said on Sunday.
The senior police official said the unprecedented drop in crime rate in the city could be attributed to barricades put in place in several areas
"Barricades have been put in areas where we suspect movements of criminals. This has brought down the percentage of crime in the city," he said.
"However, some crimes like murder due to differences within family or neighbours over property are still taking place. It is the crimes committed by professional gangs that have stopped," the ADG clarified.
( With inputs from ANI )