Increasing bank fraud and cyber crime cases being reported nearly daily from across the State, particularly in the cities including Dehradun, have left both the police and the people deeply worried.
While the Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh recently noted that cyber crime has become an industry, lack of awareness among the people and tricks used by fraudsters continue to fuel cyber crimes and bank frauds in Uttarakhand, observers say.
Statistics received from the cyber crime police stations revealed that a total of 87 complaints, including cheating the people through phone calls and forged net-banking transactions, and spiriting away money by changing ATM cards were reported in 2015. Money lost to cyber crimes was around Rs 1.02 crore in the year.
Besides, 103 such cases were reported in 2016 while the amount lost to cyber crimes that year was Rs44.30 lakhs. In 2017, 353 such cases were reported while the amount lost was Rs5.19 crores.
Cases of cyber crimes occurring thick and fast in Uttarakhand, additional SP Ajay Singh who is dealing with cyber crime cases have suggested submission of Aadhar cards be made mandatory for procuring SIM cards from the local outlets.
He had insisted that the practice of telecom companies issuing SIM cards sans presentation of valid documents must be stopped to check cybercrimes from happening. According to officials dealing with cybercrimes, Aadhar card being made mandatory for procuring SIM cards would make it a bit easier to crack such crimes with most of the gangs involved in such crimes being based in the Maoists-infested areas of Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Western Uttar Pradesh.
They further said that they are convinced following investigation of many such cases that the gangs engaged in such crimes are hiring tech- savvy IT professionals to carry on with such crimes.