Reporting cybercrime within golden hour on 112 is a challenge for citizens
The Hindu
Citizens have reported that when they dial 1930, the dedicated cybercrime helpline, it takes two to three tries to talk to an operator. The police officials attributed this to an increase in the number of calls to the helpline.
On August 20, Netra Kiran, a private firm employee, received 35 calls from over 30 numbers within an hour. They were all spam calls where people claiming to be from the ‘Finance Recovery Department’ harassed her to transfer money. To report the harassment, she called 112 every few minutes. But upon being redirected to the cybercrime helpline, the calls would get cut after a minute without any response.
“I had heard that you should report cybercrime within the first hour of its occurrence. That is why I kept trying to reach the officials on 112, as it was the emergency response number I was aware of. After getting no response and upon being directed to the cybercrime helpline (1930), I opted to speak to police services. There I was given a number to reach cybercrime officials, but when I called that number, it was out of order,” she said.
Like Ms. Kiran, many people who dial 112 to report cybercrimes often fail to get a response. With the police stressing the need to report the crime within the golden hour, 112 is the first step for many victims.
Srinidhi D., a businessman from Bengaluru, clicked on a link which looked like an authentic bank link and lost ₹10,000.
“I immediately dialled 112. When I was directed to the cybercrime extension, a recorded message said that the operators were busy. I tried again after 10 minutes, and I got the same message and the call ended. I then went to the nearest police station and reported it. What is the use of having an emergency number?”
Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Command Centre, Kshama Mishra said that the Emergency Response Support System (ERSS) was alerted about this issue a few months ago. “After we had highlighted these concerns, they had taken necessary measures. If it is happening again, we will alert them,” she said.
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