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Exclusive: NCRB report for 2023: Cybercrimes rise by over 30%, maximum cases linked to fraud

According to the report, ‘Crime in India’, the number of cases registered under the cybercrimes category rose to 86,420 in 2023 from 65,893 cases recorded in 2022

cybercrimeThe rise in the number of cases registered under the cybercrime category has been steady — from 27,248 in 2018 to 44,735 in 2019 to 50,035 cases in 2020, 52,974 in 2021 and 65,893 in 2022 (Representative image)
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Cybercrime in India saw a sharp surge of 31.2% in 2023, with fraud, extortion and sexual exploitation accounting for the majority of cases, according to the latest data released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).

Fraud-related offences dominated, making up nearly 69% of all cybercrime incidents, highlighting growing concerns over digital security and the urgent need for enhanced cyber vigilance across the country.

According to the report, ‘Crime in India’, the number of cases registered under the cybercrimes category rose to 86,420 in 2023 from 65,893 cases recorded in 2022. The crime rate under this category increased from 4.8% in 2022 to 6.2% in 2023.

“In 2023, 59,526 cases (68.9%) out of 86,420 cybercrime cases registered were for the motive of fraud, followed by sexual exploitation with 4.9% (4,199 cases) and extortion with 3.8% (3,326 cases),” the report shows.

The rise in the number of cases registered under the cybercrime category has been steady — from 27,248 in 2018 to 44,735 in 2019 to 50,035 cases in 2020, 52,974 in 2021 and 65,893 in 2022.

In 2023, the highest cybercrime cases — 21,889 — were reported from Karnataka, which saw 8,136 such cases in 2021 and 12,556 in 2022.

According to the report, Karnataka saw 18,166 cheating cases committed by personation and 1,007 cases where obscene videos were transferred.

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“In Telangana, 10,303 (cybercrime) cases were reported in 2021, 15,297 cases in 2022 and 18,236 in 2023. In Uttar Pradesh, the third state with the most number of cybercrime cases, 8,829 cases were reported in 2021, 10,117 in 2022 and 10,794 cases were reported in 2023,” the report said.

According to the report, a total of 2,04,973 cases were registered under economic offences, showing an increase of 6% in registration as compared with 1,93,385 cases in 2022. “Out of three specified category of economic offences – criminal breach of trust, FCF (forgery, cheating and fraud) and counterfeiting — FCF accounted for maximum of 1,81,553 such cases, criminal breach of trust with 22,759 cases, followed by 661 cases of counterfeiting in 2023,” the report shows.

Steady Rise

Year Cybercrime cases

2018 27,248

2019 44,735

2020 50,035

2021 52,974

2022 65,893

2023 86,420

From the homepage

Mahender Singh Manral is an Assistant Editor with the national bureau of The Indian Express. He is known for his impactful and breaking stories. He covers the Ministry of Home Affairs, Investigative Agencies, National Investigative Agency, Central Bureau of Investigation, Law Enforcement Agencies, Paramilitary Forces, and internal security. Prior to this, Manral had extensively reported on city-based crime stories along with that he also covered the anti-corruption branch of the Delhi government for a decade. He is known for his knack for News and a detailed understanding of stories. He also worked with Mail Today as a senior correspondent for eleven months. He has also worked with The Pioneer for two years where he was exclusively covering crime beat. During his initial days of the career he also worked with The Statesman newspaper in the national capital, where he was entrusted with beats like crime, education, and the Delhi Jal Board. A graduate in Mass Communication, Manral is always in search of stories that impact lives. ... Read More

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