Lokmat News Network
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar
If you have become a victim of cyber fraud, it is essential to lodge a complaint promptly on the NCCRP portal to freeze the involved funds to recover your money. However, rural residents often face delays in reaching police stations. To tackle this, trained staff will be stationed at 24 police stations across the district to ensure immediate registration of cyber fraud complaints on the central government’s NCCRP portal.
This initiative was announced by Superintendent of Police (SP) Vinay Kumar Rathod during a press conference. CM Fadnavis announced that department heads must implement at least two initiatives and submit reports. In a recent virtual meeting, he emphasised a seven-point action plan to improve daily life for citizens. One measure includes police officers displaying fixed visiting hours at stations and allowing citizens to directly report complaints to the police inspector (PI), a practice now implemented by Dr Rathod. As property offences have risen, becoming a rampant issue, the need for streamlined processes to handle cyber complaints has become even more critical.
Making cybercrime complaints easier
The district's cybercrime office is at the SP's office and the city's cyber police station is at the CP office. Rural residents often face delays in filing complaints, allowing stolen money to be transferred to multiple accounts. To resolve this, complaints will now be handled at local police stations, with 1-3 trained staff available at 24 stations to assist citizens. Complaints filed on cybercrime.gov.in will freeze the involved account, increasing the chances of recovering stolen money. The website will also handle reports of mobile thefts and missing items.
1,734 people fall victim to cyber fraud in 2024
In all, 1,734 citizens in the district became victims of online fraud in 2024. A total of 1,611 complaints were registered on the NCCRP portal. Out of these, 21 cases were filed, resulting in the freezing of Rs 1 crore, with Rs 47.43 lakh recovered. Additionally, 650 stolen mobile phones were tracked down.
Rural areas to ease cyber complaints
Many people in rural areas struggle to file complaints on their own. This initiative ensures that complaints are accepted directly at the police stations and updated on the portal from there. Cyber police will follow up on these cases.
( SP Vinay Kumar Rathod)