Bengaluru Faces 50% Surge In Cybercrimes In 2023 - Reports

In 2023, the number of cybercrime cases taken up by Bengaluru city police nearly doubled compared to the previous year, as indicated by data from the City Crime Records Bureau, reported Deccan Herrald. A total of 17,623 cybercrime cases were reported in 2023, in contrast to 9,940 cases in 2022 and 6,422 cases in 2021.

However, the number of detected/solved cases was lower in 2023, standing at 1,271, while it was 2,431 in 2022 and 2,257 in 2021. This suggests a growing trend of bloodless crimes occurring online. Police emphasize that cybercrimes are evolving rapidly, with fraudsters employing new methods to deceive people, as noted by a senior police officer who highlighted the involvement of new methods in many cybercrimes in 2023, according to the DH reports.

"The development of technology has only increased cyber frauds. Fraudsters are discovering new ways to cheat people. This poses a big challenge in policing," stated one of the officer.However, he praised the Bengaluru police for adapting to the changed times. Further, he added, "In our city, dedicated cybercrime stations are present in each police division. Even the smallest cyber fraud, including cases of fraud emails, is registered. In contrast, cybercrime cases are still hesitated to be taken up by police in many states."

Another senior police officer with expertise in cybercrimes mentioned that cybercrimes in Bengaluru were registered not only in the dedicated cybercrime police stations but also in law and order police stations. The evolving nature of cybercrimes posed challenges in solving them last year, as emphasized by the officer. "Deciphering some of the cybercrimes has been very difficult for us," he added. The increase in cybercrimes is attributed to the development of a cyber tipline and the registration of cases through the police helpline.