Loan app scam: In touch with Nepal, will take union govt’s help, says Deputy CM Fadnavis

Devendra Fadnavis. Pic/Ashish Raje

The home department is ready to tackle increasing cyber crimes, Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis told the Assembly on Monday. The state cops are in touch with the Nepal police in connection with the loan app scam, he said. Moreover, the government will soon establish a cyber intelligence unit and provide them with state-of-the-art tech support, Fadnavis, who is also the home minister, added. Sources said Fadnavis has assured state agencies of all help that is needed from the Centre. mid-day was first to trace the scam's roots to Nepal-based facilities, being run by Chinese nationals.

Fadnavis made the announcement following questions about increasing cyber crimes in the Maharashtra Legislative Council. He said cyber fraudsters have been operating from different states and countries. Referring to the loan app scam being run from Nepal, the deputy CM said, "The Chinese-run loan app call centres operate from Nepal. The state police are in touch with the Nepalese police."

Cyber unit

"Cybercrime has always been one of our top priorities, and we previously established Maharashtra Cyber as a nodal agency to strengthen the state police with 34 cyber laboratories across Maharashtra. The time has come to further strengthen the same and we are thinking in that direction of establishing a cyber intelligence unit (CIU) which will be more competent to handle serious cyber offences," Fadnavis said.

Also read: Delhi police bust Chinese-run loan app scam, 22 held

Fadnavis said the sleuths at the CIU will be trained in handling cyber crimes using advanced technology. Representation pic

The minister said the Maharashtra cyber police have a small ‘Cyber Watch' module that tracked the loan app operators in Nepal and took action against them. Now, the state government is considering training cyber sleuths and outsourcing technology for tracking and blocking of threats, and detection of crime. Under the plan, a software company will work on the technical aspect of digital frauds to help the Maharashtra police deal with cyber cases.

He recalled his visit to the headquarters of Microsoft, which has been working relentlessly to secure its customers and is assisting the police department. "It is their [Microsoft's] job to block cyber threats. I was told that India gets a cyber threat every three seconds. In the police cyber department, the staff becomes technically obsolete in a couple of years and we cannot make them train in advanced age," he said.

Outsourcing won't mean handing over everything to the private parties; they would only assist the police with technology, he assured. He cited an example of passport service wherein Tata Consultancy Services does the technical groundwork, but the government decides who gets a passport.

Data security

Fadnavis also talked about data security and action in case of misuse under the country's Data Protection Act, and similar laws in other countries. The company will directly handle the task of providing technology for cyber crime detection, he added.

Responding to a question in the Assembly, he said the officer [inspector general rank] who heads Maharashtra Cyber department, is considered as a side posting, even though s/he is important, because there is no structure that goes down the line. "We will make the officer responsible for structured work. The officer holding the charge will be given a good posting after serving a stint in the cyber department," he added.

Maharashtra Cyber, a nodal agency, was established during Fadanvis's tenure as the CM in 2016. Though upgraded once earlier, the office at Bandra Kurla Complex would be improvised further, said Fadnavis.

Public awareness

He also said that a massive public awareness programme about cyber crimes could be conducted throughout the state, because in the future, road crimes will be replaced by white crimes, such as cyber frauds.

In another announcement, he promised action against entertainment software piracy. "The cyber crime IG will be asked to have deliberations with the producers to know what they want. The policy will be formed after due deliberations," he said.

Asked to check the frauds on matrimonial sites, He said the government could ask the companies to get affidavits from their respective clients stating that their information is true, because giving out false information is a crime. "There is no mechanism right now, but the IG (cyber) will be asked to verify what ways are available currently and what could be done further to check this particular crime."

Meanwhile, sources said Fadnavis was also briefed by the Maharashtra Cyber and the Mumbai police, particularly on loan app harassment cases, and he had asked both cyber wings to take the matter to its logical end.