Proposal sent for more cyber crime police stations in Himachal

Ambika Sharma

Tribune News Service

Solan, November 11

To enhance the preparedness against cyber crime, a proposal to open range-level cyber crime police stations has been made by the state CID before the government.

There are three ranges in the state – Southern, Central and Northern – and each has four districts within its purview.

Despite an exponential rise in cyber crime cases in the last about five years, there is barely one such police station in Shimla to handle cases from all 12 districts.

One Additional SP and two inspectors, five head constables and 16 constables handle the station. Given a steep rise in the cases, the need to expand its purview has been felt since long, opine officials.

An analysis of cyber crime in the last five years reveals that cyber crime frauds have risen from 524 in 2017 to 2,773 in 2021 while crimes pertaining to social media have risen from 221 in 2017 to 2,063 in 2021.

The number of FIRs registered in the Southern, Central and Northern ranges as well as the Shimla police station has also registered n rise from 49 in 2017 to 127 this year. As many as 585 FIRs have been registered in the last five years in Shimla.

“The opening of cyber crime police stations at the range-level will not only ease the burden of the police station in Shimla, but also make available specially trained cyber warriors for speedier investigation,” said Inspector General of Police (IGP), CID Crime, Atul Fulzale, who has taken up this issue with the government.

He said even with one police station, Rs 83,88,831 had been refunded to complainants in the last five years where 4,399 cases of financial frauds, 3,168 cases pertaining to social media and 330 of sextortion had been reported till August 2021.

Field officials in the districts, terming it a much-needed step, said handicaps like the delayed receipt of data pertaining to Facebook, Whatsapp usage of an accused as well as the failure to get the pinpointed location of an accused from most cellular companies often impede investigation. The first few hours of a crime are the most crucial.

Neighbouring states have taken a lead in stepping up their preparedness like move to recruit experts and opening more police stations. Though a forensic-cum-training lab at Junga at Rs 1.48 crore is being set up by the State Forensic Science Lab, its work should be hastened.