Over 2.45 lakh Sim cards blocked, Rs 930 crore saved in cyber frauds: Home Ministry

New Delhi, Dec 5: The Central Government, in a proactive measure against cybercrime, has successfully blocked more than 2.45 lakh SIM cards and 42,000 International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI), according to revelations by Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay Kumar Mishra in a recent statement to the Lok Sabha.

To fortify the nation's cybersecurity, the Ministry of Home Affairs has established the 'Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre' (I4C), a robust initiative aimed at addressing all forms of cybercrime in a coordinated and comprehensive manner.

Under the I4C umbrella, the 'Citizen Financial Cyber Fraud Reporting and Management System' has been launched to facilitate the immediate reporting of financial frauds.

The system has already saved a staggering amount of over Rs. 930 Crore in more than 3.80 lakh complaints. A toll-free helpline, '1930,' has been activated to help with lodging online cyber complaints.

To enhance coordination and combat cybercrime effectively, seven Joint Cyber Coordination Teams (JCCTs) have been established for hotspots like Mewat, Jamtara, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Chandigarh, Visakhapatnam, and Guwahati. Workshops organized in various cities further underscore the awareness programmes launched by the government in combating cyber threats.

The 'National Cyber Forensic Laboratory (Investigation)' in New Delhi, a part of the I4C, stands as a state-of-the-art facility providing early-stage cyber forensic assistance to Investigating officers, the minister said.

The laboratory has already offered its services in around 8,840 cyber forensic cases, including mobile forensics, memory forensics, and CDR analysis. As part of its public engagement strategy, the 'National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal' (https://cybercrime.gov.in) has been launched to allow the public to report incidents of cybercrime, with a specific focus on crimes against women and children.Incidents reported on this portal are handled by the State/UT Law Enforcement Agencies by the law.

While "Police" and "Public Order" are subjects under the jurisdiction of the State Governments, the Central Government supplements these efforts through advisories and financial assistance.

Various schemes support the capacity building of Law Enforcement Agencies, and a massive awareness program has been launched to educate the public through accessible channels.