HARYANA CS CALLS FOR TOUGHER CYBERCRIME MEASURES, CONTINUOUS AWARENESS DEEMED TOP PRIORITY, SEBI TAKES ACTION: ASSETS OF CYBERCRIME PERPETRATORS TO BE FROZEN, TWO NEW OFFICES COMING TO HARYANA
Face2News/Chandigarh
Combating the escalating tide of cybercrime, Haryana Chief Secretary Mr. Sanjeev Kaushal stressed the urgent requirement of ongoing awareness programs. He emphasized their role in equipping the public with essential knowledge to thwart irregular deposit schemes, similar scams, and other deceptive practices.
Chairing the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) State Level Coordination Committee (SLCC) meeting here today, Mr. Kaushal pointed out the various strategies used by cybercriminals and the concerning number of complaints against them. He said that more than 1.50 lakh complaints were reported from January 1 to November 30, 2023, with over 51,000 already resolved and ongoing efforts for the rest. Stressing the need for stronger measures, he urged banks to take swift action to effectively combat cybercrime.
The Chief Secretary said that 2,354 cases were registered, with 647 already disposed of. Notably, 409 of these were serious cases exceeding Rs 5 lakh. In addition, 79 cases were registered and suo motu cognizance taken, leading to the arrest of 1,707 accused. During this period, Rs 66.92 crore was successfully recovered.
It was disclosed in the meeting that 55,865 mobile numbers linked to cybercrime have been reported on the NCRP portal, with 52,591 already blocked. Haryana ranks second in the country for platform utilization in this regard. Additionally, 5,777 mobile numbers were blocked directly through the Department of Telecommunications (DoT). Furthermore, 1,11,998 bank accounts of cybercriminals were frozen through the 1930 mechanism. To proactively combat the misuse of mobile numbers for cybercrime, Airtel has partnered with Haryana Police to explore AI-based solutions for blocking such numbers. This successful collaboration can serve as a model for implementation with other Telecom Service Providers (TSPs).
The Chief Secretary said that the Indian Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) is taking action to freeze/seize the assets of those involved in the crime. Its main objective is to provide security to investors in the stock market; it also assists traders and investors against any kind of fraud and scam. Two SEBI offices will soon be opened in Haryana, located in Hisar and Ambala.
The meeting also delved into detailed discussions on crucial topics, including the regulations of the Prize Chit Money Circulation Ban Scheme under the 1978 Act, establishing permanent measures to prevent bank fraud, formulating rules to curb irregular investments under the 2019 Act, and tackling illegal activities.
Haryana Police has designated the first Wednesday of every month as Cyber Awareness Day to promote widespread understanding of cybersecurity practices and reporting mechanisms through public engagement programs.
The meeting delved into detailed discussions on various schemes, including the Green Agricultural Cooperative Bank, unauthorized forex training platforms, courier fraud scams, and fraudulent Aadhaar-enabled payment systems. Additionally, specific complaints against entities like the Alchemist Group of Companies, Radheshyam Gold, Roni Finance Limited, Mahadev Mutual Fund, Future Maker Life Care, PACL, Sahara Group, and Nidhi companies or mutual benefit societies were thoroughly examined.
Present in the meeting included Reserve Bank CGM, Mr. Arvind Kumar, ACS, Finance, Mr. Anurag Rastog, ADGP Law and Order, Mrs, Mamta Singh, Registrar Cooperative Societies, Mr. Rajesh Jogpal, and Chief Accounts Advisor, Ms. Kiran Walia, along with senior officials from RBI and SEBI.
