Maharashtra police ropes in 26 cyber specialists as consultants to crack complex cases

For the first time, the Maharashtra cyber police has roped in 26 cyber specialists as consultants who will assist them in investigations of complex offences and prevent cyber attacks on government installations. While it is not new for the state police to take the help of cyber experts, but this time they had formally taken graduates from the IIM, IIT and other cyber domain specialists on board.

A decision to this effect was taken following the complex nature of cyber offences being registered across the state, including a cyber attack that led to a major power failure in Mumbai on October 12 last year. It is suspected that power lines may have tripped following a cyberattack from another country. A ransomware attack on MIDC servers in March was also traced to Bulgaria by the Mumbai Police.

An official said apart from probing the complex cyber offences, gathering evidence, and training officers, the cyber experts will also audit government installations to ensure they are not vulnerable to foreign attacks. “In this era, where cyber warfare is being undertaken, we have to ensure that we are not sitting ducks,” the official added.

The police have also cited increased use of the darknet to commit cyber offences and instances of child pornography online that prompted the need for roping in cyber specialists. An official said after the state Home Department cleared the proposal, the services of a multinational professional company decided on the 26 experts.

Maharashtra Cyber IG Yashasvi Yadav said, “The process was completed nearly two weeks back after which they were taken on board.” These experts, Yadav said, will also go through the database of the national cybercrime registry, where people submit complaints and begin work to resolve the same.