As India observes Digital Governance Awareness Week (July 1–7), Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar has quietly emerged as a regional frontrunner in adopting digital tools for citizen-centric service delivery.
While the digital shift has enabled smoother access to services, it has also brought with it a sharp rise in online threats particularly financial fraud. Fresh data reveals that between January and May 2025, the city recorded cyber frauds amounting to Rs 15.57 crore, underscoring the urgent need for robust digital response mechanisms. Cybercrimes reported include a range of sophisticated fraud types such as cyber trafficking, online gambling, cryptocurrency scams, online task frauds, and loan app traps a reflection of how malicious actors are evolving alongside technology. According to exclusive data accessed by Lokmat Times, 62% of public grievances filed under the city’s jurisdiction through the NCCRP were resolved digitally in the first half of 2025. These complaints originated from neighbourhoods including Cidco, Garkheda, Aurangpura, and Chikalthana, and covered a range of civic concerns from water supply interruptions and uncollected garbage to unauthorised constructions and malfunctioning streetlights.
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What is NCCRP?
Launched by the Ministry of Home Affairs, the NCCRP (cybercrime.gov.in) allows victims to report cybercrimes from UPI fraud to sextortion in real time. Complaints are automatically routed to the concerned police units and banks, expediting the process of freezing accounts and launching investigations.
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Cyber fraud complaints – city jurisdiction (NCCRP Data)
Source: City Cyber Police Cell | Period: Jan 2024 – May 2025
Year complaints registered total fraud amount Amount held Amount refunded
2024 6,125 ₹49.99 crore ₹4.91 crore ₹1.02 crore
2025 (Jan–May) 2,580 ₹15.57 crore ₹2.55 crore ₹69.32 lakh
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Tech shift in cyber policing: A tale of two cases
Case 1 – Manual Freeze Delays (25 Dec 2024)
In the Divisional Sports Complex scam, city police encountered severe delays in freezing the bank accounts of the accused, Harshkumar Kshirsagar. The traditional process required multiple calls and paperwork, which slowed down enforcement and allowed funds to move beyond reach.
Case 2 – Swift Recovery via NCCRP (07 Dec 2024)
In contrast, Prashant Sonone, assistant superintending archaeologist, was duped of ₹12 lakh by fraudsters posing as enforcement officials. They falsely linked him to a money laundering case involving Jet Airways and subjected him to a fabricated “digital arrest.” The complaint, filed immediately via NCCRP, allowed the Cyber Police to recover ₹11.2 lakh, which was later returned. The case was registered at Begumpura Police Station.
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Freezing time now 4–6 hours, will reduce further
“The NCCRP portal has become a powerful tool for us. Earlier, we had to manually contact respective officials to freeze accounts. Now, through the portal, it takes around 4–6 hours after a complaint to initiate freezing a timeline governed by RBI and bank regulations. In the coming years, this duration will definitely reduce.”
— PI Shivcharan Pandhare,
City Cyber Police Station, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar