Cyber police write to home department saying most of the fraudsters are spread across India and in neighbouring countries
The Cyber Cell at BKC is the main one in the city and there are four others besides it. File pic
The Cyber Cell of the Mumbai Crime Branch has written to the Home Ministry demanding an annual budget of Rs 50 lakh to investigate cases, including those of app loans. The Cyber Cell has also demanded a separate budget for cyber experts, whose services are taken to investigate cases in Mumbai.
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The cell has intensified action against online loan apps harassing the citizens across the city in the name of instant loans. “The cases we investigate have a direct link to fraudsters making calls from different parts of the country and most of the calls originate from north India. An officer has to travel to a different state for a case. Generally in one case it costs us around Rs 50,000 as travelling expenses,” said an officer from the Cyber Cell. “We have written to the government seeking a special budget of Rs 50 lakh and the amount will be distributed to the five cyber police stations in Mumbai,” the officer added.
The Cyber Cell has also demanded manpower to investigate offences. Representation pic
Maharashtra Home Minister, Dilip Walse Patil, during meetings with senior officers and a mid-day team had given clear instructions regarding loan app cases, and said all possible help will be provided to the Cyber Cell. He only wants results so the menace of loan app harassment comes to an end.
Another demand
“Another problem we are facing is the shortage of staff, as we need dedicated teams to investigate such offences and a panel of cyber experts. So we have also demanded man power and a separate budget for cyber experts to take their services to investigate cyber offences,” the officer added.
According to a Cyber Cell officer, in most cases, they need police inspector rank officers to investigate offences, but few of them are available and the number of cases is rising every day, not only in loan app crimes but other cyber offences as well.
The letter has been written to the government as officers feel that the lack of budget and manpower is delaying investigations and cyber fraudsters are taking advantage of the same.
2,883
No. of cyber crime cases registered in Mumbai in 2021
455
No. of those cases solved
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