Cyber crime cases prove a virtual waste

More than 90 per cent of the cases do not reach the courts though they are solved because complainants back out at the last minute

MUMBAI: A staggering 90 per cent of the complaints registered with the cyber crimes investigation cell (CCIC) of the Mumbai police never make it to a court of law despite the suspect being identified. Reason: complainants back out at the last moment fearing that a court case would lead to embarrassment.

Various cases related to crimes in the virtual world like creating fake profiles on social networking or matrimonial sites, sending obscene emails, messages, or pictures, and credit card frauds come to the CCIC. A team of at least four officers works on each case and sometimes the investigation takes more than a month.

But after the investigating team has spent days to trace the culprit, the effort goes waste because the complainants back out and the cases do not reach the courts.

“When the victim approaches us with a complaint, he or she is unsure who might be behind the crime. But once they come to know about the accused, they tend to withdraw their complaint thinking it would be embarrassing for them to face people in society,” said Mukund Pawar, senior PI, CCIC.

According to Pawar, most times it turns out that the accused is a neighbour, a jilted lover, an ex-lover, a separated partner, or even a jealous friend. “Once the suspect apologises, the victim tends to forgive and forget,” said Pawar. “A mere nine to 10 per cent cases reach the courts. In such cases the complainant is at the extreme level and is determined to punish the culprit, or there is a monetary loss involved.”

In such cases the police call both parties — the accused signs an apology (mafinama) and his statement is recorded in front of the complainant after which the case is closed.

s_jyoti@dnaindia.net