Digital Detectives

That began changing in a year’s time as the number of computer users went up and with it increased cyber crimes—mostly cases of sending obscene e-mails. This was when the need of strengthening the computer branch to investigate cyber crimes was felt and Deputy Commissioner of Police Sanjay Verma, who was then in-charge of crime branch, was sent for a training in cyber crime investigations at an institution at Ghaziabad. Verma was the first police officer in the city to get trained in cyber crime investigation. The police also begun taking help of some freelance computer experts after designating them ‘‘Web Police’’. The ‘‘Web Police’’ were fired after an incident wherein a ‘‘Web Police’’ allegedly helped an accused in an obscenity case to erase evidence.

THE cyber crime cell begun developing after Assistant Commissioner of Police Sanjay Jadhav was transferred to Pune from Nanded in November 2002. Jadhav, who had done Bachelor of Engineering (Metallurgy) before joining the force, did a course in cyber crime investigations. He encouraged his staff also to learn techniques of cyber crime investigations and that’s how the cyber crime cell begun emerging in its new ‘‘avatar’’ — a team of policemen specialised in investigating cyber crimes. Besides, being chief of the cyber crime cell, Jadhav also has also been touring various places across the state to provide information about cyber crimes, provisions of Information Technology Act and cyber crime investigation techniques to policemen and members of judiciary.

Since 2004, the cyber crime cell has dealt with 12 cases. Besides, it has dealt with 60 complaint applications. In July last year, the cyber crime cell has its first big breakthrough when it arrested an inter-state gang of 11 which duped people after cloning credit cards. The money involved in the fraud was over Rs 9.73 lakh.

It has also investigated a case wherein a man was arrested for fraudulently withdrawing money from a bank account after using net-banking faciliy. Besides, it has dealt with a couple of website hacking cases, a case of cyber stalking, a case of password altercation, a case of cyber identity theft, a case of data theft from a private company and several cases of obscenity and threatening e-mails.

About a month before the BPO fraud was bust, the Pune police had joined hands with NASSCOM for strengthening the cyber crime cell. The NASSCOM is to help the police set up a well equipped cyber forensic lab besides training policemen in cyber crime investigations. The first batch of 20 police officials begun attending the five day long training course designed by NASSCOM on April 25.

It was dedication of the crime branch sleuths which enabled the Pune police deal with the BPO fraud so effectively although they were short staffed and facing shortage of equippment.

It was a closely knit team of only four officers assisted by about a dozen constables which dealt with the entire case and arrested 16 persons. Ever since the case was filed on April 5, these officials and constables have been working for about 15 hours a day.

Now, when they are being praised from all quarters and when they are being invited from police units and IT companies in various parts of the state for experiance sharing, the team that investigated the entire case finds itself perplexed. Apprehension that it may affect the case adversely, the team members want to remain tightlipped but everybody wants them to speak. ‘‘This is not a pleasant situation. It is too premature for us to speak. The investigations are still going on and we need to concentrate fully on them,’’ as a member of the team says.