Haryana Police ranked first in the country in preventing cyber fraud in 2024. Haryana Police saved about Rs 268.40 crore from cybercriminals as compared to Rs 76.85 crore in 2023. Thus, three times more money was saved from cybercriminals in 2024 as compared to 2023 and five times more than in 2022, said the Haryana Police in a statement.
Director General of Police Shatrujeet Kapur informed that the state police is also taking strict action against cybercriminals and sending them behind bars. In 2022, 2165 cases were registered against cybercriminals, while in 2023, 2747 cases and in 2024, 5511 cases were registered.
Similarly, in 2022, the police arrested 1078, in 2023, 1909 were arrested, and in 2024, 5156 cyber criminals were arrested. Out of the total criminals arrested in 2024, 70 per cent (3555 criminals) are from other states. On an average, 14 cyber criminals were arrested daily by the Haryana Police in 2024.
As a result of its significant efforts, Rs 33 crore was refunded to cyber fraud victims in 2023, which increased to about Rs 95 crore (almost three times) by November 2024. All 29 cyber police stations in the state have been instructed to refund the money back to the victims through Lok Adalats so that people do not have to go to courts to get the money.
Kapur said that in this era of technology, cybercrime is a major challenge for the entire country. To tackle this problem, the state police has strengthened the cyber security system and also carried out system reforms. A strategy has been developed to prevent cybercrime by carefully studying the methods adopted by cybercriminals, he said.
In September 2023, the number of technically skilled police personnel deployed on the cyber helpline 1930 was increased from 12 to 70. In the same vein, meetings were held with representatives of banks and they were motivated to work with the Haryana Police. As a result, today 15 nodal officers of 10 major banks are working together on a platform to prevent cybercrime.
The DGP has appealed to the common people that in this era of technology, when most people are active on online platforms, if anyone calls themselves a CBI, an ED or a police officer and talks about digital arrest, then be alert immediately as no agency does digital arrest. Also, people should not fall prey to fake share trading scams circulating on social media platforms. Before investing, be sure to verify the company or website officially. Also, people should not pick up WhatsApp video and audio calls from foreign countries’ numbers, especially Cambodia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, etc. People should be wary of fake advertisements appearing on Telegram and Google.
The Haryana Police is continuously running awareness campaigns on print and social media to make the people of the state aware of the methods adopted by cybercriminals.So far, a total of 2 crore 27 lakh people have been made aware of cyber security measures. The only way to prevent cybercrime is caution and vigilance, so people should be careful and contact the helpline number 1930 immediately if they suspect cybercrime, as per the official statement.