Lucknow, Aug. 12 -- Uttar Pradesh Police's Lucknow Zone has reported a substantial decline in major crimes against women across its Lucknow and Ayodhya police ranges. The trend was attributed to a multi-pronged strategy that combines prevention, victim support, technology-driven investigations and aggressive prosecution of offenders. Additional DG, Lucknow Zone, Praveen Kumar said that under the guidance of CM Yogi Adityanath and DGP Rajeev Krishna, the strategy extends beyond arresting offenders and focuses on creating easier access to police for women, increasing preventive policing at vulnerable locations, cracking down on crime-supporting networks such as narcotics and illicit liquor, ensuring scientific investigation and securing convictions through effective prosecution. Police statistics show that in the Lucknow range which comprises districts of Unnao, Sitapur, Hardoi, Kheri, Rae Bareli, 110 murders of women, 517 rape cases, 1,535 molestation cases, 2,200 cases of harassment and 348 dowry death cases were registered in 2016. In comparison, from January 1, 2026, till July 31, 2026, the Range recorded 27 murders, 38 rapes, 326 molestation cases, 819 harassment cases and 110 dowry deaths. When adjusted on the basis of average monthly incidents, police claim a 58% decline in murders of women, an 87% drop in rape cases, a 64% reduction in molestation, a 36% decline in harassment cases and a 46% fall in dowry deaths. In the Ayodhya range which comprises districts of Ayodhya, Sultanpur, Amethi, Ambedkarnagar, Barabanki, police said the average monthly incidents of murders of women dropped by 50%, rape cases by 56% and dowry deaths by 21%. ADG Kumar highlighted the role of Mission Shakti centres and women help desks functioning at police stations. In Lakhimpur Kheri alone, 8,192 awareness programmes were conducted this year, reaching over 1.6 lakh women and girls, while 1.84 lakh pamphlets were distributed. Similar outreach efforts were carried out across Rae Bareli, Hardoi, Sitapur, Unnao and Sultanpur districts....