Country's most modern cyber lab to come up in Navi Mumbai: Fadnavis

The country’s most modern and biggest cyber lab to combat crime will come up in Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Sunday.

Addressing a function, Fadnavis, who handles the state’s home portfolio, also asked the Maharashtra police to be ready for the three newly enacted laws – the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and the Bharat Sakshya Act, which will come in to force across the nation from July 1.

These three laws got the approval of Parliament on December 21 last year and President Droupadi Murmu gave her assent on December 25.

Speaking at the inauguration of the Evidence Management Centre (EMC) and the Evidence Despatch Van (EDV) in Navi Mumbai, Fadnavis said the three new acts will be bring radical changes as they include provisions for the most modern electronic and technical evidence, which will increase conviction rates.

”The EMC and EDV are the first of its kind in the state. These should be replicated across Maharashtra. The EMC has no human intervention and the entire procedure of handling evidence through it will increase conviction rates. Instances of hacking and other cyber frauds are on the rise,” he said.

”The conviction rate was 9 per cent in 2011-12 and has now gone up to 50 per cent. Focus on technical evidence will be strong so that conviction can be had even if witnesses turn hostile. This will deter crime. The police must also opt for blockchain as tampering is not possible,” he said.

Under the new acts, evidence has to be collected by experts in cases in which the sentence is more than seven years, he said.

”The Navi Mumbai police commissionerate is the first in the country that is as per the new acts that will come into force from July 1. As digital transactions increase so will cyber crimes. The most modern cyber project and cyber lab in the country will be based in Navi Mumbai. All banks, NBFCs, social media sites will be brought on one platform to detect crimes as quickly as possible,” Fadnavis said.

Maharashtra Director General of Police Rashmi Shukla and Navi Mumbai police commissioner Milind Bharambe attended the event.