With increased users and increased use of social media networks, there is a shocking increase in cybercrime. Hackers look for opportunities to gain access to people’s accounts, either personal or financial, through suspicious links, downloads or unsecured systems and networks. But we should remember that hackers and cybercriminals are not the only ones we should be on the lookout. Terrorists can also create havoc by using the cyberspace to disrupt the peace and tranquility of the country, and especially, to a city as dynamic as Mumbai. To counteract all these threats, cyber police stations are the need of the hour in Mumbai.
The Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Uddhav Thackeray inaugurated five new cyber police stations in Mumbai on January 26, 2021. The new cyber police stations will file fraud cases ranging from Rs 2 Lakh to Rs 50 Lakh.
Fifty per cent of the workforce in these police stations will be women. Preference will be given to police with knowledge of cyber laws, experience in uncovering crimes and trained in cybercrime.
Earlier, the police as well as complainants had to rely on the lone Cybercrime Police Station at the Bandra-Kurla Complex of the Crime Branch for investigation of cybercrimes as well as for technical assistance. With time, due to an increase of such crimes and to make it convenient for citizens living in the different regions of Mumbai, it became necessary to increase the number of such police stations in the city, backed by expert manpower. A detailed study and survey were conducted on how many cyber police stations should be opened in Mumbai.
Each cyber police station will be headed by the Deputy Commissioner of Police and a senior police inspector.
Speaking in the occasion, Uddhav Thackeray said, “Just like COVID-19, crime is also a kind of virus, and the vaccine that teaches it a lesson is available in the form of Maharashtra Police, and we are all proud of it.” Cybercrime is invisible to the naked eye, and our war with this invisible enemy has now begun more efficiently, he added.
Earlier, the city had only one dedicated cyber police station at BKC. “Decentralising the investigation and allocating new police stations at all the regions would make it convenient for the victims,” said a cyber police officer.
These five newly inaugurated cyber police stations are located in each of the five regions – North, South, West, East and Central: Shivajinagar Police Station at Govandi in Mumbai East Division, West Regional Division Office at Bandra in Mumbai West Division, Samata Nagar Police Station at Kandivali in Mumbai North Division, Worli Police Station at Worli in Mumbai Central Division, and Dadasaheb Bhadkamkar Marg Police Station in Mumbai South Division. They will be equipped with up-to-date machinery and equipment. They will also improve the quality of investigation of online fraud cases and detection, conviction and recovery rate of cybercrimes. In 2020, the city police detected only 207 or 8.5% of the 2,435 cases registered with them.
In addition, 5 senior police inspectors, 20 police inspectors, 30 assistant police inspectors, 50 police sub-inspectors, 200 police constables and a large number of trained cyber police personnel will be provided to these stations so that they will function smoothly. They will also enhance the police’s response time to online frauds. In case of cybercrimes, the first two hours are considered to be golden hours. Timely action by the cyber police staff will save people from being swindled off of their money and bring down cybercrime rate, another senior officer said.
Cybercrime saw a rise in Mumbai in 2020 despite the COVID-19 pandemic with 2,435 cases of various cybercrimes registered as compared to 2,225 cases in 2019. Cases of obscene WhatsApp chats/messages, emails, SMS, social media posts and morphing saw an increase as 247 such cases were reported in 2020 while the number was 239 in 2019. Detection of such cases was much lower, with only 91 cases detected in 2020 as compared to 104 in 2019.
