Mumbai cyber police building nears completion

The under-construction cyber building in Bandra West, which will house the entire Mumbai cyber police, is nearing completion

An 11-storey cyber building, equipped with the latest technology to combat cybercrime, is likely to be handed over to Mumbai police soon. The original deadline was August 15, but a month-long delay is anticipated owing to some pending work. Construction of the building began in 2019 during the tenure of Devendra Fadnavis as Chief Minister. "The work by the (police) housing department is in the final stages and it will be handed over to us soon," said S. Jayakumar, joint commissioner of police (administration).

The ground-plus-eleven-storey building, located on SV Road near Bandra Railway Station, will feature 10,393 square metres of office space from the first to the seventh floor, and 1,000 square metres from the eighth to the eleventh floor, designated as residential quarters for police personnel. Currently, the Mumbai police have five regional cyber police stations, all of which will be consolidated into this new building. The deputy commissioner of police (DCP) Cyber will also operate from here. Additionally, the 1930 cyber helpline call centre and a dedicated cyber control room to coordinate with banks and nodal officers will function from this location.

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As of now, the cyber cell at BKC operates the 1930 Helpline and also boasts of advanced digital forensic technology. According to cyber officials, when an officer from the South Cyber Cell needs assistance they would have to visit BKC cyber cell. With everything under one roof, time will be saved and investigations will be expedited, said an official.

The latest forensic investigation tools, including mobile and hard disk extraction tools, password breakers, CDR/IPDR analyzing tools, audio-video enhancement tools, and data recovery software, will be centralized to expedite investigations as needed.

"The requirement for a cyber building with a dedicated control room equipped with the latest technology is crucial given the skyrocketing figures of cyber fraud. Such infrastructure will help officers deal with cybercrime more diligently," said an officer of Mumbai Cyber. According to Mumbai Police, the building will also feature amenities like a gym, a multipurpose hall, and a library for police officers.