India is still in infancy in the field of cyber crimes: expert

 India is still in infancy in the field of cyber crimes and police, prosecutors and lawyers are not well-versed in handling them as well as digital evidence, a Cyber crime expert said here today.

"Information Technology Act in India is of recent origin and the officials like police, prosecutors and lawyers are not well versed in handling cyber crimes as well as digital evidence, since these have recently emerged and the younger generation is more tech savvy," said Dr J R Gaur, Principal Scientific Officer (Life Sciences), Bureau of Police Research and Development while speaking at seminar at Amity University.

He said the pattern of crime has changed over a period of time and the commission of crime by scientific methods makes it difficult for the executioners to bring perpetrators behind the bars.

"In cyber crimes, India is still in infancy. ATM frauds are increasing. Effective forensic investigation at the scene of crime can bring criminals to book. The importance of the knowledge of forensic evidences specially traces of hair, fibre etc found at the site, have to be ingrained in the officials dealing with cyber crimes," he said.

Stressing that banks need to take steps to install modern security and vigilance gadgets and equipments including the CCTV cameras in the ATMs since most of the times, they record low resolution images which are difficult to identify once enlarged.

Addressing the seminar, Rakshit Tandon-Advisor, Cyber Crime Cell, Gurgaon Police and CEO A&R Info Solutions Pvt said there has been a significant rise of 60 per cent in Cyber Crimes from 2011 to 2012 in NCR.

"Maximum number of perpetrators in cyber crimes are very young, who are unaware of law and proudly proclaim themselves as 'Ethical Hackers'," said Tandon.

He said that in 2011, over 1,630 perpetrators for cyber crime were arrested and out of these, 928 were college going students and over 65 were school going children.

Stressing that "cyber laws in India needs transformation, he said at present, under Information Technology (Amendment) Act, 2008, the accused is punished for imprisonment, which may extend to three years or with fine, which may extend to five lakh rupees or both, irrespective of the magnitude of the crime committed.

"Cyber Laws have to be made stringent to restrict youngsters from indulging into them," said Tandon.