7 (seven) new cybercrime police stations in Telangana to combat rising cybercrimes
In response to rising cybercrimes, the Telangana government has established exclusive cybercrime police stations ("CCPS"), operational from April 2, 2024. These stations will handle cases involving losses of INR 1,00,000 (Indian Rupees one lakh) and above, while smaller cases will be addressed by local police. Each CCPS will be led by a Deputy Superintendent of Police cadre Officer and staffed with sub-inspectors and constables. The Telangana State Cyber Security Bureau will manage high-impact cases involving national security and critical infrastructure, aiming to enhance cybersecurity across the State.
CBI undertakes nationwide search operation against fraudulent app based investment scheme
The CBI in May 2024 undertook nationwide searches ranging across 30 (thirty) locations in 10 (ten) States/Union Territories as part of an ongoing investigation into an app-based fraudulent investment scheme linked to the HPZ Token App. The HPZ is an app-based token which promises users high returns through investment in mining machines for Bitcoin and other crypto currencies. Previously, CBI had registered a case under various provisions of the IPC, and the Information Technology Act, 2000 ("IT Act") against 2(two) private companies and their directors.
A surge in cybercrime in India
India is grappling with a significant surge in cybercrime, registering an average of over 7,000 (seven thousand) complaints per day up to May 2024. Major cyber fraudsters targeting India are believed to operate from Southeast Asian countries, including Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar. As per media sources, this marks a continued upward trend, with a 113.7% increase in cybercrime complaints from 2021 to 2022, and 60.9% from 2022 to 2023. Further, between January and April 2024, the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre received 4,599 (four thousand five hundred and ninety-nine) digital fraud complaints amounting to INR 1,203.06 crore (Indian Rupees one thousand two hundred and three point zero six crore), alongside trading scams worth INR 14,204.83 crore (Indian Rupees fourteen thousand two hundred and four point eight three crore), investment scams totaling to INR 2,225.82 crore (Indian Rupees two thousand two hundred and twenty-five point eight two crore), and dating scams worth Rs 132,31,00,000 (Indian Rupees one hundred and thirty-two crore thirty-one lakh), resulting in approximately 10,000 (ten thousand) FIRs being filed. Additionally, the World Cyber Crime Index ("WCI"), which highlights the substantial contribution of each nation state to global cybercrime, has placed India in the 10th position. WCI has been developed as a partnership between the University of Oxford and UNSW Canberra which ranks countries based on their contribution to global cybercrime. With Russia placed at the top with the world cybercrime index score of 58.39 (fifty-eight point three nine), followed by Ukraine and China, India ranks 10th with a WCI score of 6.13 (six point one three).
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.