Delhi, Chandigarh, Haryana have highest cybercrime rate in India

Tribune News Service

Aditi Tandon

New Delhi, January 3

Delhi, Chandigarh and Haryana reported the highest cybercrime rates in the country in 2023 with Haryana’s Mewat emerging as a hub of sextortion, a serious online crime.

As against 129 cybercrimes per one lakh population reported nationally last year, Delhi, Chandigarh and Haryana reported cybercrime rates much higher than the national average at 755, 432 and 381 per one lakh people respectively.

National agencies have blocked 2.9 lakh fake SIMs, 2,810 malicious URLs and 595 mobile apps

Of all cyber crimes in 2023, investment frauds made up 38 per cent followed by customer care or refund based or KYC expiry-related frauds; and sextortion which occurs when someone threatens to distribute private material if they refuse to share materials of intimate nature, grant sexual favours or transfer money.

The government data shows Rs 10,390 crore were lost to cybercrimes in the past three years after the launch of National Cybercrime Reporting portal in 2019.

“The cybercrime helpline 1930 is aiding in the recovery of lost money and in three years Rs 1,127 crore belonging to 4.3 lakh citizens has been recovered through official systems developed by linkages between the government and 23 banks and e-commerce companies. The recovery is around 10 per cent of the money lost,” Rajesh Kumar, head of Home Ministry’s India Cyber Crime Coordination Centre, said on Tuesday sharing national cybercrime trends.

He advised people to be judicious while granting app permissions; avail loans only from RBI regulated apps and call 1930 instantly if any recovery agent blackmails them online.

The RBI has so far whitelisted 395 instant loan apps and national agencies have blocked 2.9 lakh fake SIMs, 2,810 malicious URLs and 595 mobile apps based on response based on complaints registered at the national portal which eliminates the need to visit a police station to report online crimes.

Cyber experts warn people against answering video calls, which could expose them to sextortion, and say they are working with banks to prevent mule accounts (bank accounts that receive money from a third party, which is then transferred to someone else; these act as a bridge in money laundering). Kumar said cybercrimes grew at 61 per cent between 2022 and 2023 as against 113.7 per cent in the previous year.

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