Bihar Police sets up special intelligence unit after 1.10 lakh cybercrime complaints, Rs 500 crore fraud
PATNA: Bihar Polices Economic Offences Unit (EOU) has formed a dedicated intelligence unit to curb the alarming rise in cybercrime, as 1.10 lakh complaints have been received and scammers have cheated people of nearly Rs 500 crore in the state this year alone. The specialised intelligence unit has been tasked with gathering inputs on cybercriminals and their networks, enabling swift and technologically advanced action, distinct from conventional investigation methods. The unit has conducted an in-depth study of cybercrime patterns and cracked down on several organised gangs. ADG (EOU) Nayyar Hasnain Khan said the intelligence team is tracking suspicious mobile numbers, websites, URLs and digital transactions to trace the source of cybercrime. With the cooperation of telecom companies, around 9,300 mobile numbers and about 4,000 IMEI numbers used in cyber offences have been blocked so far, he said. The EOUs intelligence unit is also receiving crucial assistance from the Pratibimb portal, a GIS-based software module developed in collaboration with the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) under the Union Home Ministry. The portal helps police and law enforcement agencies track the identity, location and networks of criminals based on online complaints registered on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP). Using technical inputs from Pratibimb and in-depth analysis of mobile data, the EOU launched a special drive under Cyber Prahar, during which 171 cybercriminals were arrested. Patna, Nawada, Sheikhpura and Nalanda have been identified as cyber fraud hotspots in Bihar. In a major breakthrough, Patna Police recently busted a 13-member cybercrime gang and arrested its kingpin, Rahul Kumar, a resident of Vaishali district, on December 26. Rahul, an engineer by profession, is accused of duping people of around Rs 55 crore over the past year. During interrogation, he revealed that the gang had spread its network across several districts in Bihar and even outside the state. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Patna, Kartikey Sharma said Rahul left his job after finding cyber fraud to be more lucrative. He initially contacted private agents of banks and developed links with them. These agents helped him open mule bank accounts into which the cheated money was transferred, the SSP said, adding that Rahul and his associates would be taken on police remand for further interrogation. Meanwhile, the EOU headquarters referred more than 5,600 cases to cyber police stations across the state this year, leading to the arrest of over 1,000 cybercriminals. Additionally, more than 24,100 online complaints related to social media and other cyber offences were addressed. According to Bihar Police data, scammers have cheated people of nearly Rs 500 crore so far, of which Rs 106.30 crore has been held or frozen in suspicious bank accounts. However, only around Rs 7.36 crore has been refunded to victims to date. The NCRP received 24.38 lakh calls related to cybercrime from Bihar this year, out of which 1.10 lakh cyber fraud complaints were formally registered.
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