Nagpur: There has been a steep rise in cyber crime cases. The number of cases in the first nine months this year are 30% more than those registered in 2019. Compared to 126 in 2019, 166 cases have been registered till September 2020, reveals a RTI reply to activist Abhay Kolarkar.
Nagpur crime branch said that most complaints were related to online banking, credit card, debit card fraud and cheating through mobile phone and other means under the information technology (IT) Act.
As per the RTI reply, from January-September 2020, the cyber cell registered 13 cases pertaining to online cheating, 3 cases of debit and credit card fraud, 12 cases of online banking fraud, six cases of cheating through OTP and 49 cases of other online frauds.
In 2019, the police had registered 11 cases of online cheating, 14 cases of frauds pertaining to credit and debit card fraud, 4 cases of cheating through online banking, 6 OTP-related fraud cases and 47 other cyber crime cases.
The cyber cell also registered cases related to spreading rumours through social media. As per the RTI reply, from March 25 to September 30 (during Covid-induced lockdown period), the cell registered five cases related to spreading rumours through Facebook, TikTok, Twitter and other social media. One case of objectionable WhatsApp message and three rumours pertaining to coronavirus scare were registered during the lockdown period, the RTI reply revealed.
Cases hurting religious sentiments, too, have increased this year. Compared to the three FIRs in 2019, this year the city police registered seven cases in the first nine months of the calendar year.
Liquor prohibition cases too witnessed a sharp rise. Against 10,913 cases last year, city police have registered 10,195 cases in just nine months of 2020.
However, serious offences like murder, attempt to murder, rape etc under IPC sections have witnessed a sharp decline in first nine months this year as compared to last year. City police had registered 7,735 cases in 2019, while from January 1, 2020 to September 30, 2020, 4,720 were recorded.
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