• Over Rs 10,300 crore were siphoned off from the country by cybercriminals since April 1, 2021, of which agencies managed to successfully block around Rs 1,127 crore in the country, Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) said.

• More than 5,000 complaints of cybercrime are being reported on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP) of which 40-50 per cent are based on frauds committed by gangs operating from China and pockets of Cambodia and Myanmar.

• Over 4.52 lakh cybercrime cases were reported on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP) in 2021, which rose by 113.7 per cent in 2022, with 9.66 lakh cases being reported on the portal.

• The complaints on NCRP rose by 61 per cent to 15.56 lakh in 2023 from 9.66 lakh in 2022, translating into 129 cybercrime cases reported per lakh population.

• Over 15.56 lakh cases were reported on NCRP in 2023, translating into 129 cyber crime cases reported per lakh population, which shows a deceleration of growth rate to 60.9 per cent as compared to 2022.

• The helpline number to report a cybercrime is 1930.

• Around 263 banks and financial institutions including National Payments Corporation of India that has developed UPI system are linked to the helpline.

• Recently, a new software, ‘Pratibimb’, has been made accessible to state police forces on a project level that will enable them to locate cybercriminals operating in their area.

• The use of this software, coupled with quick reaction, has ensured a massive reduction in cybercriminals operating from Jharkhand’s Deoghar and Jamtara areas.

• Over 2.95 lakh SIM cards, 2,810 websites, 595 mobile applications and 46,229 IMEI numbers have been blocked on the basis of complaints received.

• Most of the SIMs used by cybercriminals were issued from Assam, West Bengal and Odisha which have emerged as hotspots for procuring SIMs for such activities.

Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C)

• Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) is an initiative of the ministry of home affairs to provide a national platform for tackling cybercrime in a coordinated and comprehensive manner. 

• I4C is working towards its vision to create an effective framework and ecosystem for prevention, detection, investigation, and prosecution of cybercrime.

• I4C aims to strengthen the capabilities of law enforcement agencies (LEAs) and improve coordination among various stakeholders and LEAs. 

• It is continuously working for the enhancement of the nation’s technical capabilities to deal with cybercrime and to further strengthen the operational architecture and coordination among LEAs and other stakeholders.

• The focus of I4C has been on tackling all the issues related with cybercrime for all citizens, such as improving coordination among various central and state agencies, driving change in India’s overall capability to tackle cybercrime and facilitating capacity development of LEAs to better respond to cybercrime.

• I4C also focusses on strengthening the fight against cybercrime, committed against women and children. 

• Ease of filing cybercrime related complaints has been improved with the various initiatives of NCRP. 

• I4C has assisted states/UTs in capacity building of police officers and judicial officers in the areas of cyber forensics, cyber hygiene, cyber-criminology, etc.

Components of I4C: 

i) National Cybercrime Threat Analytics Unit for reporting threats pertaining to cybercrimes at regular intervals.

ii) National Cybercrime Reporting Portal to report various cybercrime complaints by citizens at all India level on a common platform on 24x7 basis from “anywhere, anytime”.

iii) National Cybercrime Training Centre to impart training to government officials, specially state law enforcement agencies.

iv) National Cybercrime Research & Innovation Centre to carry out research for development of indigenous tools for prevention of cybercrimes.

v) Platform for Joint Cyber Crime Coordination Teams for coordination, sharing of modus operandi of cybercrimes, data/information among states/UTs LEAs.

vi) National Cybercrime Ecosystem Management Unit for creating mass awareness in cyber hygiene for prevention of cybercrimes.

vii) National Cybercrime Forensic Laboratory (Investigation) Ecosystem for helping LEAs in cyber forensics investigation.

National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal

• The portal was launched on a pilot basis on August 30, 2019, and it enables filing of all cybercrimes with specific focus on crimes against women, children, particularly child pornography, child sex abuse material, online content pertaining to rapes and gang-rapes.

• The portal can boost the capacity of law enforcement agencies to investigate cases and will improve the success rate of prosecutions.

• It also focuses on specific crimes, especially those related to finance and social media stalking, cyber bullying, etc.

• The portal will improve coordination among law enforcement agencies of different states, districts and police stations for dealing with cybercrimes in a coordinated and effective manner.

Manorama Yearbook app is now available on Google Play Store and iOS App Store