mumbai big dreams and a wish to earn quick bucks husbands illicit relationships and dowryrelated issues are among the major causes that drive women to commit crimes including murder say investigators based on observations experts say many crimes by women are a reaction to atrocities and poverty just a few days ago on september 12 a 45yearold homemaker jannat ansari killed her husband by stabbing him 33 times in their jogeshwari east home upon being arrested she told the police that she suspected him of being in a relationship with a woman from the locality on august 24 a woman fathi rubina was arrested at the international airport for attempting to smuggle in 35kg of gold bars worth about rs 83 lakh in july a 36yearold primary school teacher was arrested by the saki naka police for murdering her husband reeba levenston told the police that her husband used to assault her regularly a senior ips officer told toi that human history reveals that women have been the foundation stones of families in particular and society in general but in the present world women have taken up the added responsibility of making a mark on her own to carve out an identity for herself along with nurturing her family but it is sad to see that womens achievements are also extending towards criminality the officer said sion hospital dean dr suleman merchant said women in india are retaliating to increasing crime against them the issue has reached alarming levels it has compelled scholars to focus on the root causes of women turning to criminal activities female criminality has been theoretically stated as complicated and less understood the social environment contributes a lot to the phenomenon psychiatrist harish shetty said globalization and the breakdown of systems in the last decade in maharashtra has provided fertile ground for all sorts of crimes in a sea of anonymity women too believe that they are invisible in the eyes of law enforcing agencies and will not be discovered he said mumbai polices spokesperson dcp dhananjay kulkarni said that while many women take to crime for financial gain some do it for excitement women commit crime for many social emotional and economic reasons dr merchant said crime by women is still not a zone of priority concern probably because of their small numbers to have deeper insight into the problem of female criminality intensive study in the field is the need of the hour all aspects concerning women including criminality require a thorough review experts say professor of psychiatry from grant medical college dr ya matcheswalla said violence against women has increased and so retaliation is severe there is little chance of reduction in crimes committed by women this is a social occurrence linked to gender equality economic growth and urbanisation