The dedicated staff, which includes women officers, is being trained by corporates, banks and Nasscom to rein in cyber frauds
Cybercrime, the new frontier in the crime world, is giving the Mumbai police nightmares and is expanding at a very fast pace. With the area of operation moving towards virtual space, city cops, who have spent decades refining how to track down killers, thieves and drug dealers, are having a hard time keeping up. But they are in no mood to give up.
To tackle the new menace, for the first time, the force is preparing a dedicated wing of officers, who are being trained by corporate giants and banks. At least five such officers will be appointed as Cyber Cop Resource Officers (CCRO) at each police station from this month.
According to Mumbai police data, the first five months of this year has seen 92 cyber crime cases as against 51 for the corresponding period last year – a whopping 80 per cent rise. The whole of last year saw 169 cybercrime cases.
Officials said majority of such cases pertain to creating fake profiles of women on social networking sites, uploading obscene pictures to defame them. Simultaneously, instances of credit card frauds, job racket and lottery frauds are also increasing. On a few occasions, offensive posts have created unrest in the society, leading to law and order situation.
"If cyber offences are prevented at the police station level, economic and human losses can be averted. For this purpose, we are taking the help of corporates, Nasscom and banks to train our officers," said a senior officer associated with the training process. He said the special wing will have woman cops too.
The officer said the concerned staff will be explained about how cyber criminals get access to credit and debit card confidential details of victims and their modus-operandi. The policemen will also be trained to collect digital evidence and analyse mobile phone call details. "They will be shown videos of crimes committed inside ATM booths. Special training would be provided to investigate crimes against women through internet," added the officer.
The department will equip the trained cops with software, hardware and forensic devices for the purpose of investigation. A source said, "The CCROs are expected to assist the officers probing cybercrimes. They will be required to monitor the social media, news channels and newspapers to gather information about crimes in cyberspace."
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