QURGHON TEPPA, July 20, 2009, Asia-Plus  -- Khatlon law enforcement authorities are seriously concerned over increase in the juvenile crime rate.

According to the Khatlon police directorate chief Shodibek Rajabov, local minors have committed 64 crimes, ranging from thefts to killings, over the first six months of this year.  He added that consolidation of efforts of government bodies and parents could prevent juvenile crime in the province.

In all, 1,525 crimes have been reported in Khatlon province over the report period and 94.1 percent of them have been solve, the Khatlon police chief said.

Rajabov noted that increase in the number of the reported crimes in the province had resulted from increase in the number of cases of fraud, especially among women.  “One woman from the Vakhsh district alone has committed 80 fraud crimes for a total amount of 800,000 US dollars,” he said.

209 fraud-related crimes have been reported in the province in January-June 2009, which is 126 cases more than in the same period of last year.