Cybercrime typically uses various technologies to commit theft and other crimes, primarily online, with computers and other tech tools as the primary targets. Forbes reports that 2023 saw an all-time high increase in overall cases of 72%, surpassing the numbers from 2021. The average loss from the data breach in 2024 was $4.88 million. Most crimes targeted individuals, businesses, and occasionally even governments. As a result, there will be an even greater need for more robust cybersecurity measures, making this one of the most significant industries in the future. Information security employment is expected to increase, with a projected 32% increase between 2023 and 2032.
According to the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre, over 7000 incidents were reported in India every day between 2022 and 2023, representing a 60.9 per cent rise. The Central Government responded by implementing several initiatives, such as the development of a website where victims could report offences, including child pornography, spyware, and sexually explicit content, among other things. According to a 2019 statement by G. Kishan Reddy, the Minister of State for Home Affairs, the government has developed a crisis management plan to protect the nation from cyberterrorism. It has also implemented training programs for network or system administrators about preserving the IT sector, which will lessen the threat posed by such attacks. When compared to other nations that are most frequently the target of these crimes, India comes in at number 80 and is seeing an unbelievable increase in key cities. Many firms have also been cautioned by this tendency to exercise care regarding the effectiveness of their law-and-order systems and their ability to find a workable solution, particularly in metropolitan areas where most of their activities are located.
Recently Noida Police Arrested 76 fraudsters who ran a whole Call center
Cybercrime operations are most significant in states like Rajasthan, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh. In contrast, the most targeted states are Telangana and Karnataka, owing to the presence of their IT capitals (Hyderabad and Bengaluru, respectively). These crimes take advantage of India’s growing digital landscape; according to Statista, 7 out of 10 internet users in the nation have experienced cybercrime, compared to the global average of 4 out of 10 users.
Cybercrime is now considered an organised crime under India’s new criminal laws, which significantly tighten the penalties for these acts. Most laws prohibiting hate speech, blackmail, forgeries, and other similar offences have been widened to cover digital ways of committing these crimes so that texts, videos, and different types of evidence may be used in an inquiry. Electronic records were previously only allowed to be used as secondary evidence. Still, the new laws have upgraded this status and enabled electronic documents to be used as primary evidence in court.
India is fighting cybercrimes and cannot stop their progress despite numerous conventions and regulations. Recovering lost funds and ensuring the victims are paid are two more of the investigating officers’ top concerns. This is rarely the case, though, as demonstrated by the story of a group of thieves in Bengaluru who stole more than 158 crores from 265 victims; the following investigations only managed to recover 62 lakhs. A few cases have also mentioned victims who failed to report crimes right away, missing opportunities to apprehend the offender and social media intermediaries who were unable to offer adequate information.
While most cybercrimes came to light after COVID-19, when it was already a significant phenomenon, some observers believe that the main reason crimes still occur to such an extent is because the central government failed to implement the necessary reforms. Portals such as the Cyber Crime gateway are vital. However, most of these sites function as a reporting gateway and do not include direct recording of crimes or FIRs, rendering it mainly ineffectual.
Rapid digitalisation of the country and the presence of over 700 million internet users can easily be leveraged by constant attacks on cyber-space. Most jurisdictions also include police personnel who lack the necessary expertise to handle such situations, which leads to the neglect of thefts and other similar offences. Reports are circulating that the country is reevaluating cybersecurity as a requirement and that in some places, like Tamil Nadu, no formal complaint against cyber theft was filed until 2021. Experts claim that India lacks the necessary resources to handle these cases. It is necessary for improved laws and conventions, but it is also crucial for raising public awareness. State governments need to work with the Centre to establish special cybercrime cells staffed by officers with experience in tech-related offences. Educating people about bogus emails, links, and other forms of exploitation is essential so that improvements in the nation’s cybercrime situation start at the grassroots level.
