Mangaluru: All police stations to handle cybercrime cases amid increasing online fraud

Mangaluru: In response to the rising incidence of online fraud, it has been decided that all police stations will now register and investigate cybercrime cases. All stations are being equipped for this purpose, and the public no longer needs to go exclusively to cyber police stations for cyber-related cases.

Each district police jurisdiction has one CEN (Cyber, Economic, and Narcotic) police station. In areas with a Police Commissionerate, there is also a city CEN station. Previously, only CEN police stations would register and investigate cybercrime cases. However, due to the significant increase in cases, CEN stations are becoming overwhelmed. Additionally, the public had to visit CEN police stations to file complaints. To address this, it is now possible to file cybercrime complaints at other local police stations as well.

Preparation underway:

All police officers and staff at each station have received training from cyber experts and officials from the cyber police station. The strength of officers and staff at the CEN station in Mangaluru Police Commissionerate has been increased due to the rise in cyber cases.

Other police stations have also been instructed to register and investigate cybercrime cases. Newly recruited PSIs are mandated to investigate at least two cyber cases, according to Police Commissioner Anupam Agarwal.

Major Cases to CEN:

Except for very complex and high-profile cyber cases, all other cases will be registered and investigated at local stations. Appropriate training has been provided by cyber experts. The public can report cyber fraud immediately to their local police station, said Dakshina Kannada SP CB Rishyanth.

Udupi district SP Dr. K. Arun also informed that in addition to the CEN station, other stations in Udupi will also register and investigate cyber-related cases.

285 cases in less than 3 months:

In the Mangaluru Commissionerate jurisdiction, 285 cybercrime cases have been registered in the past two and a half years. Of these, 72 cases involved fraud under the guise of part-time jobs, 58 cases related to matrimonial/gift fraud, 10 cases of investment fraud, and 26 cases of debit/credit card/OTP fraud.

Genuine officials don’t ask bank details:

Awareness about cyber fraud will be raised among the public, including women and senior citizens, through videos and booklets. The public should not fall for schemes promising easy money. Officials from Customs, Income Tax, or CBI will not ask for bank account information over the phone or email.

If fraud is detected, it should be reported immediately to the nearest police station or the 1930 helpline, according to the Police Commissioner.

“To ensure prompt investigation, give all police officers experience in handling cyber cases, and provide quick responses to the public, cyber cases will be registered and investigated in all stations, not just CEN. Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) have been provided for this purpose. Reporting fraud to the 1930 helpline and the police immediately can help in recovering lost money. Approximately 20% of the defrauded money has been recovered from fraudsters’ accounts this way,” said Anupam Agarwal, Police Commissioner, Mangaluru.

Translated from Kannada article by Santosh Bollettu