Hyderabad (Telangana): With the World Wide Web as their field of activity and smartphones as their tools of exploitation, cyber criminals are on the prowl.
According to the information provided by the Union Home Ministry to the Parliament, as many as four lakh cyber attacks took place in the country in 2019. The number shot drastically to 11.5 lakh the next year. According to a study conducted by Sophos, 52 per cent of organisations in the country have been subjected to cyber attacks in a span of one year. As many as 35 crore people were victimized by cyber crimes all over the world, of which 13 crore victims were from India alone.
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Though online crimes, online gambling and loan app excesses have been flaring up in the country, the conviction rate in such cases has been abysmally low. Due to lack of evidence, at least 50 per cent of cyber cheating cases are closed at the preliminary investigation stage itself. In states like Goa, not a single conviction has been reported in cyber crime cases in the last few years.
Expressing their helplessness in tracing the culprits, cyber crime police say before they resolve a case, at least 20 more cases pile up. Even if they manage to nab the culprit, they will have a tough time recovering the money as the offenders would have transferred the amount to another destination.
The loan apps segment is another area of concern for state governments.
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As work from home became a norm during the pandemic, theft of personal information has also become rampant in cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Chennai. In one such incident reported from Hyderabad, a Class IX student sent an obscene message in the name of a medical student. Innumerable instances of phishing, through which credit card related information is hacked, have been reported. Culprits have been luring victims into the trap by deceptively offering loans and gifts. There are laws that prescribe punishment for criminals that resort to phishing and online harassment. However, these laws are of no use if they are unable to put culprits behind the bars in time. Countries like the US, Canada, England, Russia and Brazil among others have been sharpening their strategies from time to time to contain cyber crime. However, in India, where cyber criminals siphon off as much as Rs 1.25 lakh crore a year, the attitude of the government machinery remains lackadaisical. There is a need to review and rewrite laws pertaining to cyber crimes.
The Bengaluru City Police have established a system that provides for the transfer of funds from the offender's account to the victim’s account within two hours after the crime is reported to 112. Such initiatives must be expanded to other states too. Fast track courts must be set up to hand speedy justice to victims and harsh punishments to cyber criminals. Coordination between the Centre and states is crucial in curbing cyber crime.
