Cybercrime cases in India rose 17.9% between 2023 and 2024, even as the overall crime rate fell 6%, according to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) Crime in India 2024 report. The country recorded over 1.01 lakh cybercrime cases in 2024, and the rate for digital offences rose to 7.3 per lakh population. The Status of Policing in India Report (SPIR) 2026 also flags citizens' vulnerability to cyber fraud and the hurdles they face in securing justice.
Most cybercrimes registered under the Information Technology Act, 2000 are driven by financial gain through forgery, cheating and fraud, followed by extortion and cyberstalking. Over 80% of victims suffered financial losses, and 23% lost more than Rs 20,000. The conviction rate is below 18% (NCRB 2022). The report attributes this to difficulties in collecting digital evidence, procedural lapses and the transnational nature of the offences.
Current fraud relies less on hacking and more on psychological manipulation. Fraudsters pose as police or bank officials, offer high-return investments, play on fear of authority and trust in e-commerce, and use emotional distress. Typical approaches include calls about deliveries never ordered, claims that a phone is linked to illegal activity, or a caller posing as police saying a relative is in danger.
NCRB and Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) data point to a rise in AI-enabled frauds, organised cyber syndicates and "Digital Arrest" scams. Deepfakes, spoofing and phishing are used to impersonate trusted sources. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) masks locations, and stolen money is moved quickly through layered mule accounts, which makes recovery very difficult. The Unified Payments Interface (UPI) is often targeted through compromised mobile numbers.
The Information Technology Act, 2000 penalises identity theft and impersonation and, under Section 70A, provides for protection of critical infrastructure. The IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 make social media intermediaries and digital marketplaces accountable and require swift removal of unlawful content. The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 places security obligations on data fiduciaries, and the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 bans online money gaming. The Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA), 2023 governs evidence, including the electronic evidence needed for convictions.
CERT-In is the national nodal agency for responding to cybersecurity incidents. I4C, under the Ministry of Home Affairs, provides a framework for coordinated action by law-enforcement agencies, with Joint Cyber Coordination Teams for seven regions: Mewat, Jamtara, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Chandigarh, Visakhapatnam and Guwahati. The National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre protects sectors such as banking, telecom, power and transport. Under the Cyber Crime Prevention against Women & Children scheme, the Ministry has funded forensic-cum-training laboratories and junior cyber consultants in all States and Union Territories.
Citizens can report through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal and the 1930 helpline. Its Citizen Financial Cyber Fraud Reporting and Management System (CFCFRMS) module is meant to enable immediate reporting of financial fraud and stop funds being siphoned off. The Department of Telecommunications has developed the Financial Fraud Risk Indicator (FRI), which classifies suspicious mobile numbers as Medium, High or Very High risk. The Cyber Swachhta Kendra helps detect and clean botnet and malware infections, and the DoT blocks international calls disguised as domestic numbers.
Many victims never approach the police, and others abandon cases because of procedural hurdles and lack of faith in policing. Delays push victims, particularly poorer, rural and female ones, to seek police action through bribes or personal networks, which makes access to recovery unequal.
Speed is the larger gap. Without automated, legally binding, real-time coordination between local police and banks, funds are often withdrawn before freeze orders are executed, and instant payment rails worsen this. Policing is tied to territorial jurisdiction, while criminals work across borders using VoIP and VPNs. I4C has advanced capabilities, but ordinary police stations lack the digital forensics, blockchain tracking skills and evidence-preservation mechanisms needed for convictions under the BSA, 2023. Deepfakes, spoofing, encrypted messaging and dark web data leaks also make attribution difficult.
The assessment calls for mandatory, time-bound registration of First Information Reports for cyber fraud, to remove police discretion. It wants the FRI expanded so that high-risk numbers are flagged and suspicious transactions blocked before fraud occurs.
It also proposes institutionalised, real-time protocols among I4C, the Reserve Bank of India, commercial banks and telecom providers to freeze stolen funds within the golden hour without manual police intervention, along with greater capacity for the 1930 helpline and the reporting portal. Other recommendations are digital literacy that explains the specific manipulations fraudsters use, scaling the Sahyog Portal to remove phishing links, malicious apps and fraudulent content quickly, and internal vigilance audits and automated tracking of recovered funds in cyber cells.
With reference to the institutional response to cybercrime in India, consider the following statements:
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Consider the following pairs:
Body / Provision : Role described
How many of the pairs given above are correctly matched?
Consider the following statements:
Statement-I: Funds stolen in cyber frauds are often withdrawn before freeze orders are executed.
Statement-II: There is no automated, legally binding, real-time coordination between local police and banks, and instant payment rails worsen the problem.
Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?
