October 12th 2024.
Bhubaneswar, a bustling capital city, is currently facing a concerning rise in cybercrimes. The Commissionerate Police, responsible for maintaining law and order, seems to be dragging its feet on implementing measures to combat this clear and present danger. Shockingly, in just one month, online criminals have managed to swindle a staggering amount of over Rs 10.61 crore from unsuspecting citizens using various tactics. This is the highest recorded figure for a month so far this year. The Cyber Crime and Economic Offences Police Station, a dedicated unit to investigate cybercrimes, has reported an average of eight cases of UPI, debit/credit card fraud per day in the last three months. Additionally, they have received 312 complaints of online harassment and 310 cases of website fraud, spam calls, and text messages during this period.
Sources within the City police have revealed that the lack of technological preparedness to prevent and detect cybercrimes is a result of administrative delays. For instance, a proposal to hire two cyber forensic experts and an equal number of IT and finance/accounts experts has been gathering dust since 2023. While some appointments have been made in the lower ranks at the Cyber Crime and Economic Offences Police Station in the past two months, the delay in filling upper-ranking positions has resulted in a backlog of pending cases.
Experts also stress the need for establishing a Cyber Crime Centre of Excellence in the City unit to bring in the necessary technical expertise for early detection of crimes. According to Commissionerate Police statistics, a total of 3,660 cyber fraud complaints were received between January and September this year, involving an alarming amount of Rs 68.49 crore. While the police have managed to freeze Rs 11.86 crore of the fraudulent funds, victims have only received a meager sum of Rs 1.86 crore in return.
It is evident that the current measures in place to combat cybercrimes in Bhubaneswar are inadequate. The Commissionerate Police must take immediate action to address these issues and ensure the safety and security of its citizens in the digital space. The establishment of a Cyber Crime Centre of Excellence and filling vacant positions with skilled experts can go a long way in preventing and detecting cybercrimes. As the number of cybercrimes continues to rise, it is imperative that the authorities prioritize and take swift action to combat this growing menace.
[This article has been trending online recently and has been generated with AI. Your feed is customized.]
[Generative AI is experimental.]
