Digital arrest scams and cybercrimes in India nearly tripled between 2022 and 2024, with the total amount defrauded soaring by 21 times. This alarming rise was highlighted in a report presented to the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, revealing the growing scale of digital fraud in the country.
In response to a question, Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar shared data from the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP) detailing digital arrest scams and cybercrimes over the past three years. According to the data, 39,925 such incidents were reported in 2022, with a total of Rs 91.14 crore defrauded. By 2024, the number of reported cases surged to 1,23,672, and the total defrauded amount jumped to an astounding Rs 19,35.51 crore, a 21-fold increase.
The data also revealed that within the first two months of 2025, 17,718 cases were reported, amounting to Rs 210.21 crore in losses by February 28.
Kumar explained that cybercrime incidents reported on the NCRP, their conversion into FIRs, and further actions are handled by the state and union territory law enforcement agencies as per the law.
The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), established by the Union Home Ministry, has actively identified and blocked over 3,962 Skype IDs and 83,668 WhatsApp accounts used for digital arrests, the minister added. In 2021, I4C launched the Citizen Financial Cyber Fraud Reporting and Management System to enable prompt reporting of financial frauds and prevent the diversion of funds by fraudsters. To date, more than Rs 4,386 crore has been saved across over 13.36 lakh complaints. The helpline number 1930, which offers assistance in filing online cyber complaints, has been activated.
To combat cybercrime further, I4C, in collaboration with the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), launched a caller tune campaign to raise awareness about cybercrime and promote the helpline number 1930 and NCRP. The campaign features the caller tune in regional languages, with telecom service providers broadcasting it 7-8 times daily.
In response to a separate query, Kumar informed the House that the Central government and telecom service providers (TSPs) had developed a system to identify and block incoming international spoofed calls that appear to be originating from within India. As of February 28, 2025, over 7.81 lakh SIM cards and 2,08,469 IMEIs, as reported by police authorities, have been blocked by the government.
Answering another question, Kumar mentioned that the I4C launched a suspect registry for cybercriminals on September 10, 2024, in collaboration with banks and financial institutions. So far, over eight lakh suspect records and more than 20 lakh mule accounts have been shared with the participating entities of the registry, helping save more than Rs 2,889 crore.
(With PTI Inputs)