Maharashtra Govt To Launch New Security System To Curb Cybercrimes

The Maharashtra government will launch a new security system to curb cybercrimes in the next six months. The state witnessed a lot of cyber fraud this year.

According to official data from the Mumbai police, 1,909 incidences of cyber fraud were registered in Mumbai between January and May of this year.

Only 200 of them have been successfully discovered, leading to the arrest of 295 people. Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said cyber crime has surpassed street crime.

The digital era is proving to be a jeopardy full of cybercrimes and it is a critical issue being faced by individuals, businesses, and governments.

Fadnavis was answering a question during the discussion on the law and order situation in the state. He said, "Cybercrime is on the rise and has surpassed street crime as of now. Given Maharashtra's size and wealth, cybercrimes may rise in the next years as well. To shorten the response time following a crime, the state is currently establishing a cyber security network on which all social media accounts, financial institutions, banks, and NBFC would be gathered. 

"The money stolen in these heists travels through more than 10 accounts before disappearing overseas. This platform, which will go into effect in the next six months, is intended to stop it. Both the newest technology and subject-matter specialists will be employed in its development. It was presented at a seminar for the Home Ministry a few months ago, and it received favorable reviews," said Fadnavis.

Fadnavis asserted that no police recruitment will be conducted using private contractual sources while responding to different concerns voiced about the state's peace and order condition. 18000 police personnel will be recruited by the government. The Mumbai and Pune police appealed to the government to allow them to use the force from the Maharashtra State Security Corporation for 11 months. Fadnavis stated, "The government has revamped police recruitment patterns for the first time since 1960, and the next hiring will be based on the fresh needs of the force."

In this digitally advanced era, cybercriminals have got a new tool - Artificial Intelligence (AI). With AI one can dupe voices and facial representations as well. There are several cases registered with police officials stating that they got voice calls and video calls from their loved ones and got looted as those calls were duped by cybercriminals. Apart from AI, they have various methods like changing the online numbers of hospitals, restaurants, spas, etc., and when one calls to make a booking and they share OTP they lose all the money they have in their banks.

What Should Victims Of Cybercrime Do?

If you fall prey to any sort of cyber fraud, you should call on 1930 and lodge your complaint. After filing a complaint share your transaction ID, recipient’s contact number, and UPI ID with officials so that the amount you have lost gets blocked.

The complaint gets also gets registered on the government’s website. You can track your complaint’s status on cybercrime.gov.in