Chandigarh, January 9. Haryana Police ranked first in the country in preventing cyber fraud in the year 2024. Haryana Police saved approximately ₹268.40 crore from cybercriminals, compared to ₹76.85 crore in 2023. Thus, three times more money was saved from cybercriminals in 2024 compared to 2023 and five times more than in 2022. For this achievement, Director General of Police Shatrujeet Kapur has congratulated the entire Cyber Haryana team.
Strict Action and Targeted Arrests: Director General of Police informed that the Haryana 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 Haryana 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% (3555 criminals) are from other states. On an average, 14 cyber criminals were arrested daily by the Haryana Police in 2024.
Proactive Measures and a Planned System: Effective efforts are being made by the Haryana Police to return the amount blocked from the cybercriminals to the victim’s account. As a result of the Haryana Police’s significant efforts, 33 crore was refunded to cyber fraud victims in 2023, which was increased to ₹95 crore 45 lakh 14359 (almost three times) by November 2024. All 29 cyber police stations in the state have been instructed to refund get the money back to the victims through Lok Adalat, so that people do not have to go to courts to get the money. The Hon’ble Punjab and Haryana High Court on the request of Haryana Police has issued orders to all District and Session courts to abolish the requirement of filing an FIR to refund, so that the fraudulent amount can be refunded without any delay.
The work done by the Haryana Police to control cybercrime is being appreciated across the country. Senior cyber police officers from the central government and various states are visiting to see the cyber security system of the Haryana Police. In 2024, the team of the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Center (I4C) of the Government of India, along with Google and other fintech companies, visited the Haryana Police’s Cyber Helpline-1930 and appreciated its functioning. Along with this, the cyber teams of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Delhi also studied the work of cyber security of the Haryana Police and expressed their interest to implement the best practices here in their respective states.
Strategic Partnership and Cooperation, the Key to Success: Mr. Kapur said that in this era of technology, cybercrime is a major challenge for the entire country. To tackle this problem, the Haryana 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. 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.
Remarkable Work, Excellent Results: As a result of the work done by the Haryana Police to control cybercrime, the rate of the amount blocked in cyber fraud and the recovery being made by cyber police stations, which was 7% in September 2023, increased to 36% in December 2024, which is the highest in the country. Not only this, if a complainant files a complaint within 6 hours of cyber fraud, 70% of the cheated amount is being blocked, which is the highest in the entire country. Haryana Police was at the 23rd position in the country in terms of the rate of the amount blocked in cyber fraud till September 2023, but now it has reached the first position. For this achievement and the efficient implementation of the Cyber Helpline 1930, the Union Home Minister, Amit Shah, Government of India, Amit Shah, also honored the Haryana Police on September 10, 2024.
Farsighted Leadership and Infrastructure Growth: Along with this, 4 police personnel of the Haryana Police have been deployed in the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Center (I4C) of the Government of India, where significant steps are being taken to prevent cybercrime in collaboration with 20 major banks and fintech companies across the country. In 2024, 2,83,589 bank accounts and 1,24,565 mobile numbers used in cyber fraud have been closed, which is the highest in the country.
Haryana Police Appeal on Cyber Security: Mr. Kapur 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, 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.
