Tackling cybercrimes a priority, says Putta Vimaladitya

District Police Chief emphasizes the importance of coordination with I4C to combat cybercrimes effectively and efficiently.

Better coordination between the cyber division of the State police and the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C) will help rein in cybercrimes more effectively, Putta Vimaladitya, who recently took charge as District Police Chief (Kochi City), has said.

Speaking at a meet-the-press organised by the Ernakulam Press Club here on Tuesday, he cited dealing with cybercrimes as one of his four priority areas. Fight against drugs and miscreants, and streamlining traffic were the others, he said. He drew attention to how cybercrimes, in which criminals from many States were involved, presented a major challenge to the police. The I4C was established by the Home Ministry to provide a framework and ecosystem for law enforcement agencies to deal with cybercrimes in a coordinated and comprehensive manner.

Enforcement along with education about the modus operandi applied in latest cybercrimes and how not to fall prey to cyberfraud formed the foundation of the strategy against cybercrimes. “Registering such crimes, diligently probing them and detecting the accused, and recovering the lost money of victims are also significant parts of that strategy,” Mr. Vimaladitya said.

Often SIM cards and bank accounts are not used by those in whose names they are registered. Overcoming these challenges called for new investigation methods and better coordination with other departments, Mr. Vimaladitya said.

He added that careless disclosure of credentials over social media and not following cyber safety best practices often led to the loss of data, which was exploited by fraudsters. Indiscriminate installation of applications with scant regard for safety and security and data leak from institutionalised systems also lead to data vulnerabilities.

Mr. Vimaladitya said that creating awareness about cyber safety best practices through residents’ associations, organisations of professional agencies, and activities in schools and colleges would be explored. The possibility of using social media reels and videos would also be explored.

He said that repeat offenders under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act would be mapped for better enforcement against the drug menace. The officer added that the city police had detected 27 cases involving commercial quantities of drugs so far this year. Detection and awareness would be further strengthened along with targeted police patrol during nights.