Thiruvananthapuram: The COVID-19-induced lockdown saw a spurt in cyber crimes in India with Kerala recording the highest number during the period.
Kerala has a more open approach towards reporting cybercrimes compared to the other States, which could be reflecting in the number of cases registered by the State Police.
As the process to file a complaint against a digital crime is simple and easy in Kerala, it makes way for more and more cybercrimes being reported.
According to the Police, of the total number of crimes registered in Kerala in 2020, about 75 per cent are digital crimes or those involving digital mediums. Five years ago, cyber or digital crimes constituted only less than 20 per cent of the total cases registered.
While the number of cyber cases registered was 439 and 422 in 2018 and 2019 respectively, the State witnessed as many as 679 cyber cases getting registered in 2020.
Most of the cases are pertaining to the online attacks at women and children and the misuse of social media platforms.
Last year, through ‘Operation P hunt’, as many as 183 persons were nabbed by the police for cyber attacks targetting children. Based on the statistics, the Police is being specially trained to deal with the digital crimes and cybercriminals, said ADGP Manoj Abraham.
By 2022, the Kerala Police would be fully equipped to deal with cyber crimes through the training. The higher use of internet also reflects in the number of digital crime cases.
With the number of cybercrime cases steadily increasing, the operations of the Cyber Dome under the Kerala Police has been strengthened. The State Police is currently monitoring the internet usage and activities in Kerala from the centres in Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Kozhikode.
Through the cyber-surveillance, many crimes can be prevented right from in the conspiracy or planning stage, the Police evaluates.
The Police revealed that many crimes, including those targeting the children, could be averted and prevented through the Police’s cyber vigil.
The Police have nabbed the many gangs which were behind sending nude photos of children through groups on social media platforms. With cyber police stations in all districts of the State, it is expected that the fight against cybercrimes becomes much stronger.
As per last year’s statistics, Pathanamthitta leads in the number of cases reported with 82. Thiruvananthapuram comes second with 70 and Kochi is the third with 69 cybercrime cases registered respectively. As many as 108 cases were registered in different cyber police stations.
Last year, 926 raids and examinations were carried out as part of the Operation P Hunt to check the cyber crimes against children. Of these, 769 cases were registered and 852 devices were seized by the Police. The Police said the present IT act is strong.
However, the present system is not adequate to regulate the social media platforms. There must be a strong policy in this aspect and awareness must improve with regard to digital crimes, according to the Police.
The internet users must be aware and take precautions to prevent themselves from falling prey to the cyber crimes planned and executed from foreign countries, the police department pointed out.
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