New wave of cyber crime against women in India

Updated: Saturday, October 10, 2015, 9:18 [IST]

New Delhi, Oct 9: While India is witnessing a steady increase in the number of cyber crimes, there is another worrying statistic that goes on to suggest that the nearly 13 per cent of the cases are targeted against outraging or blackmailing a woman.

Over the years the cyber crimes reported have risen by nearly 63.7 per cent. The number of cases reported in the year 2012 was 3,477 while the subsequent year witnessed 5,693 cases.

However, the advent of the social media over the years has also been used as a tool by many to seek out revenge against women. There have been at least 749 cases of this nature which have been reported across the country.

Setting up a trap:

While cyber crimes range from frauds to hacking, the police across the country have been receiving several complaints by women complaining of blackmail. Many women who have been divorced have filed complaints stating that their former husbands have been blackmailing them on the social media.

Similar complaints have been filed by students as well. In some cases, the blackmailing has been purely vindictive. An unwilling woman has had to face the wrath of some men who have been morphing photographs and posting them on social media sites or even circulating them through messaging services.

An officer with the cyber crime wing told OneIndia that not in all cases has a demand for money been made.
There are cases where the boy has just sought revenge and hence has blackmailed/threatened the girl or woman.

Women go missing:

In some cases it has been found girls have gone missing after meeting up friends that they have made on the social media. One such case was reported from Kottayam in Kerala where a girl went to meet with a person she had become friends on Facebook. However when she met him, she was abducted.

The girl was however traced and later she told the police that when she met with the boy he had forcibly taken her to a hotel and assaulted her. The police say that despite being warned and told not to meet with strangers, these girls often bite the bait and end up in trouble.

In Kerala, a statistic would reveal that 29 cases registered with the cyber crime wing have been agasint women. These are cases of revenge, fraud and blackmail the police found during their investigation.

Cyber crime rising:

According to the National Crime Records Bureau incidents of cyber crime had increased by 63.7% in 2013 as compared to 2012 (from 3,477 cases in 2012 to 5,693 cases in 2013).

Cyber forgery accounted for 55.9% (747 out of total 1,337 IPC cases) and cyber fraud accounted for 38.7% (518 out of 1,337 IPC cases) were the major cases reported under IPC category for cyber crimes.

56.7% of the offenders under IT Act were in the age group 18-30 years (1,190 out of 2,098 persons) and 50.1% of the offenders under IPC Sections were in the age group 30-45 years (603 out of 1,203 persons).

During 2013, 21.8% of cyber crimes was reported for fraud/ illegal gain (1,240 out of 5,693 cases) followed by eve-teasing/ sexual-harassment with 19.6% (1,116 cases ) and greed/ money with 14.4% (821 cases).