Rising Cybercrime Cases Pose a Huge Challenge to Sleuths

  Hyderabad: Cybercrime has evolved from localised operations in regions like Jamtara in Uttarakhand and the ‘new Jamtara’ in Rajasthan’s Bharatpur to a nationwide menace, posing significant challenges to the authorities. The impact has been to such extremes that around 450 cases are reported on a daily basis in Telangana state alone.

“Fraudsters typically work in Rajasthan and Uttarakhand. We have often traced origins of cybercrimes to these areas. However, the perpetrators are now operating across the country, making it tough to track them,” explained cybercrime ACP Siva Maruthi.

“On receiving funds, they transfer the money to 10 to 15 different accounts within 30 minutes. When we investigate and zero in on the ‘perpetrator’, the person turns out to be a gullible villager and not the actual culprit,” the officer said.

Around 30 complaints by victims cheated of amounts in excess of Rs 1 lakh are reported in CCS every day. Additionally, each police station registers cases where the amount is less than `1 lakh every day.

“Decentralisation of funds is a big jurisdiction hindrance as each state has its own laws and procedures. We need to get permission to probe and arrest the fraudsters. By the time we are through with the formalities, the culprits would have relocated to another state,” pointed out Cyberabad cybercrime DCP K. Shilpavalli.

“When we go to places like Jamtara to arrest the accused, we have to perform daring stunts to escape from the clutches of the locals, who are capable of torturing us if things go wrong. They are patronised by powerful local political leaders,” said an internal source.

“Despite the best efforts to nail them, when we fail to arrest the accused, we feel like the case is lost. On returning to office, we find many cases have already been registered and many more pending,” explained the source.

Cyber frauds have left victims from the city devastated as hopes of recovery are less.

A software company team leader from Madhapur lost Rs 37 lakh in a phishing scam. A retired schoolteacher Sunandha Sharma from Nagarkurnool fell prey after sharing personal details over a fake bank call. She succeeded in informing her banker to freeze  two lakh but the trauma has left her in a state of utter shock.

Cyber expert Nallamohu Sreedhar told Deccan Chronicle, "Cybercrimes often occur on weekends and holidays because fraudsters know that banks are closed. It provides them ample time to transfer funds and evade detection. Moreover, recovery of funds from a cybercrime typically requires 24 hours."

There's been an increase in financial frauds through UPI applications. Adding to the problem, there is a shortage of investigators in the department, which is resulting in tardy progress. While cities have dedicated teams, the strength is relatively small. Officers may not register cases in villages due to a dearth of staff.