MHA elevates the bar for combating Cyber-Crime

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has established a high-powered committee to address the rising cyber crimes in Southeast Asian countries. The Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C), a wing under the MHA’s cyber and information security division, spearheads this initiative. The committee was formed on May 16 and has since convened twice. Rajesh Kumar, CEO of I4C, stated that the decision was prompted by the significant increase in cybercrimes from countries like Cambodia, Myanmar, and Laos PDR. He noted that these crimes account for 45% of cyber financial frauds in India, with substantial economic losses per incident. The committee, led by the MHA’s special secretary for internal security, includes representatives from the Reserve Bank of India, the Department of Financial Services, banks, the Financial Intelligence Unit, the Department of Telecommunication, and fintech companies.

Since July last year, the I4C has been actively monitoring and disrupting cybercrime infrastructure, freezing 3.25 lakh mule accounts, blocking over 3,000 URLs and 595 mobile apps, and suspending 5.3 lakh SIM cards and 80,848 IMEI numbers. Additionally, 3,401 unlawful content on social media and other platforms has been removed. Kumar highlighted that Southeast Asian cybercriminals lure victims through investment, gaming, dating, and fake trading apps. Over the past few months, cybercrimes have cost India approximately Rs 7,061.51 crore, with authorities managing to secure around 12% of these funds. Kumar also mentioned incidents of “digital arrest” scams, where perpetrators impersonate government officials and other scams such as trading, investment, and romance scams, with tens of thousands of complaints reported this year alone.

In a specific case, Indian nationals were lured to Cambodia with false job promises and forced into cybercrime. The Indian Embassy in Phnom Penh, with the assistance of the Andhra Pradesh Police, has facilitated the return of 360 Indians, while 60 remain under local police custody. Kumar urged the public to be cautious of fraudulent job offers and quick income schemes. He assured that I4C, in collaboration with other agencies, is enhancing its capabilities to combat these cyber threats. Additionally, he noted ongoing investigations into recent bomb threat emails sent to various institutions, with suspicions of Chinese involvement in some cybercrimes targeting Indians.