New Delhi: The government outlined a set of measures that strengthened the national response to cyber crime while clarifying that policing and public order remained with States and Union Territories. States and UTs managed prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution, and they established cyber crime police stations through their law enforcement agencies.
Central support for enforcement
The Centre supplemented these efforts through advisories and financial assistance for capacity building. Moreover, the Bureau of Police Research and Development compiled data on cyber cells and cyber crime police stations in its annual report Data on Police Organizations, with the 2024 edition now available.
Systems for reporting and coordination
The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), under the Ministry of Home Affairs, addressed different categories of cyber offences. In addition, the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal allowed the public to file complaints, especially cases involving women and children. States and UTs processed all complaints and FIRs submitted through the portal.
The Citizen Financial Cyber Fraud Reporting and Management System, launched in 2021, enabled quicker reporting of financial fraud. Further, the toll-free helpline 1930 supported citizens in filing online complaints. A Cyber Fraud Mitigation Centre brought banks, payment intermediaries, telecom operators and State agencies together for real-time action.
Inter-state action and analytical tools
Seven Joint Cyber Coordination Teams now operate in Mewat, Jamtara, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Chandigarh, Vishakhapatnam and Guwahati. They improve inter-state coordination in cyber crime hotspots. Additionally, the Samanvaya Platform works as an MIS, data repository and coordination tool. It provides analytics-based crime linkages and mapping tools such as ‘Pratibimb’. It supported 16,840 arrests and processed 1,05,129 investigation assistance requests.
State-level expansion
States received advisories to set up State or Regional Cyber Crime Coordination Centres aligned with I4C. Centres have been established in Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.
