In October last year, Union Minister of Home Affairs Amit Shah had said that building a Cyber Safe India is one of the top priorities of the Modi government. To that end, the MHA has set up seven Joint Cyber Coordination Teams (JCCTs) to safeguard the digital territories of Mewat, Jamtara, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Chandigarh, Vishakhapatnam and Guwahati and prevent cybercrimes. Armed with cutting-edge technology, “these teams are under the ‘Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre’ (I4C) covering the whole country based upon cybercrime hotspots/areas having multi-jurisdictional issues by onboarding States/UTs to enhance the coordination framework among the Law Enforcement Agencies of the States/UTs”, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said in a reply in the Lok Sabha.
As reported by News18, the MHA held a series of workshops in strategic locations such as Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Guwahati, Vishakhapatnam, Lucknow, Ranchi, and Chandigarh in 2023. Each workshop served as a crucible, forging unity among diverse law enforcement agencies to tackle the ever-evolving landscape of cybercrime. So far, under I4C, an amount of more than Rs 1,200 crore has been saved in more than 4.7 lakh complaints. A toll-free helpline number ‘1930’ has been operationalised to get assistance in lodging online cyber complaints.
Meanwhile, the National Cyber Forensic Laboratory (Investigation) in New Delhi is playing an instrumental role in training investigating officers (IOs) to grapple with the complexities of cyber investigations. With over 9,000 cases assisted, ranging from mobile forensics to Call Data Record (CDR) analysis, the laboratory has emerged as a “bastion of justice in the digital realm”. According to the MHA, till date, more than 3.2 lakh SIM cards and 49,000 IMEIs as reported by police authorities have been blocked by the Government of India. I4C has imparted cyber hygiene training to 6,000 officials of various ministries/departments of the Government of India. I4C has also imparted cyber hygiene training to more than 23,000 NCC cadets.
The ministry also said that the Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) platform, namely the ‘CyTrain’ portal has been developed under I4C, for capacity building of police officers/judicial officers through online courses on critical aspects of cybercrime investigation, forensics, prosecution etc. along with certification. More than 76,000 police officers from states/UTs have been registered and more than 53,000 certificates have been issued through the portal.
Constant communication with the people about emerging cyber threats remains a key component of the MHA’s fight against cyber criminals. In late January, the Ministry had issued a warning urging people to exercise caution when engaging in online gaming. The 14C wing through the message urged people to “download online apps only from authentic sources like Google Play Store, Apple Store and official websites.” The 14C also advised to “always check game app publishers’ information in order to ensure website legitimacy.” Importantly, the Centre blocked a total of 581 apps till December 15 last year and out of these, 174 were betting and gambling apps and 87 loan lending apps.
According to findings compiled by the 14C division, an average of over 5,000 complaints related to cybercrimes are lodged daily. The report indicates a significant increase of 113.7 per cent in cybercrime complaints between 2021 and 2022 and a further 60.9 per cent increase from 2022 to 2023. The escalating number of complaints, documented on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP), reveals a total of 1,556,176 cybercrime complaints in 2023, 966,790 in 2022, 452,414 in 2021, 257,777 in 2020, and 26,049 in 2019.
The MHA’s proactive approach has so far helped save Rs 930 crore from being siphoned off in financial frauds in more than 3.80 lakh complaints. Moreover, the Ministry has allocated approximately Rs 122.24 crore as financial aid through the Cyber Crime Prevention against Women and Children (CCPWC) Scheme to various states and Union Territories. This funding aims to support their capacity-building initiatives, including the establishment of cyber forensic and training laboratories, recruitment of junior cyber consultants, and training programs for law enforcement agencies personnel, public prosecutors, and judicial officers.
Despite these efforts, the menace of cybercrime resulted in Indians losing about Rs 7,488.6 crore last year. Maharashtra led the pack with losses at a staggering Rs 990.7 crore followed by Telangana at Rs 759.1 crore. Highlighting the widespread nature of cybercrime across the country, other states such as Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Gujarat also experienced significant financial losses, with reported amounts reaching Rs 721.1 crore, Rs 661.2 crore, Rs 662.1 crore and 650.5 crore, respectively.
To further strengthen India’s anti-cybercrime apparatus, the MHA is compiling and integrating a comprehensive database encompassing URLs, phone numbers, Telegram contacts, and email IDs from websites associated with cyber fraud, specifically phishing and smishing. Under the proposed plan, individuals will have the capability to verify the legitimacy of any contact, URL, or email ID by utilising the I4C website. When reporting a cybercrime, individuals can now complete a form detailing information such as the website, phone number, bank account number, UPI ID, and social media accounts involved in the fraudulent activity.
Cybercriminals appear to be most active in the National Capital Region, with Delhi recording the higher per capita incidents of people falling prey to cybercrime. With 755 cases registered per 100,000 people in 2023, Delhi had the highest number of cybercrime complaints in the country for any state or Union territory. The national cybercrime rate is 129 per hundred thousand citizens.
The establishment of Joint Cyber Coordination Teams, investment in cutting-edge technology, and extensive training initiatives signify a proactive approach by the government. However, the escalating number of cybercrime complaints underscores the need for continuous vigilance and adaptive strategies. Collaboration among law enforcement agencies, public awareness campaigns, and technological innovations must persist to stay ahead of cybercriminals. With concerted efforts and a resilient anti-cybercrime apparatus, India can better safeguard its digital landscape and mitigate the financial and social impacts of cyber threats.
Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18’s views.
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