Rs 100 crore defrauded in cyber cases this year: Kolkata Police
Kolkata Police Commissioner Manoj Kumar Verma attributed this to various methods of fraud — including ticket booking, digital arrest, intimidation of drug trafficking, KYC update, bait of investment in shares, and OTP shares
To assist citizens, Bengal Cyber Crime has recently launched a 24/7 helpline (1930) for recording complaints on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, sources said. (Express File)
Kolkata residents have been defrauded of a total of Rs 100 crore through cyber fraud within the last year, Kolkata Police Commissioner Manoj Kumar Verma said during the monthly crime conference on Saturday. According to sources, of the total defrauded amount, only 15% could be recovered.
He attributed this to various methods of fraud — including ticket booking, digital arrest, intimidation of drug trafficking, KYC update, bait of investment in shares, and OTP shares.
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“If we talk about the state as a whole, it is huge. Cybercrime is rising fast… in a few years, it will be the only crime prevalent. White-collar conmen are only looking for virtual platforms. The recent trend shows these crimes are being controlled from Cambodia, Dubai, Sri Lanka, and Hong Kong,” said Bivas Chatterjee, Special PP of cyber cases and a cyber expert, to The Indian Express.
To assist citizens, Bengal Cyber Crime has recently launched a 24/7 helpline (1930) for recording complaints on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, sources said.
The Centre has also taken significant steps to combat cybercrime, including blocking over 6 lakh SIM cards and 1 lakh IMEI numbers linked to fraudulent activities — according to the Union Home Ministry in a recent Parliament session. It was said that Rs 3,431 crore has been recovered from over 9,94,000 cyber fraud complaints across the country, according to the latest NCRB report from 2022.
Sweety Kumari reports from West Bengal for The Indian Express. She is a journalist with over a decade of experience in the media industry. Covers Crime, Defence, Health , Politics etc and writes on trending topics.
With a keen eye for investigative and human-interest stories. She has honed her craft across diverse beats including aviation, health, incidents etc. Sweety delivers impactful journalism that informs and engages audiences.
Sweety Kumari is a graduate of Calcutta University with an Honors degree in Journalism from Jaipuria College and a PG in Mass Communication from Jadavpur University. Originally from Bihar, she is brought up in Kolkata and completed her education from Kendriya Vidyalaya SaltLake. Multilingual, Sweety is fluent in English, Hindi, Bengali, and Maithili. She started her career as an Entertainment and lifestyle journalist with a newsportal in Kolkata. She is working with The Indian Express for 8 years now. ... Read More
