Smartphone link behind most Pocso cases: CWC

Mangaluru: Easy access to mobile phones has seen predators using social media platforms to lure children and nearly a third of Pocso cases in the district has seen victims having first contact with the perpetrators online.
Last week, the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) recorded seven cases registered under the Pocso Act, of which five were fresh cases and two cases were reported late. In two cases, it was only after the parents got to know about the incident that took place a few months ago, a complaint was filed.
A CWC member observed a rise in the Pocso cases in which the first contact with the survivor was through mobile phone. CWC chairman Renni D’Souza told TOI that nearly 70% of the offenders are ‘online’ friends. With the pandemic and classes going online, children had easy access to mobile phones and during counselling, the survivors have admitted they first got in touch with the perpetrator either on Facebook or other social media platforms. Most of the survivors are aged between 13 and 17, he said.
Between 2012 and 2020, 731 Pocso cases were recorded in the court, of which 328 were reported from Mangaluru city police limits and 403 from Dakshina Kannada district police station.
“Government hospitals are playing a crucial role in detection of cases. Most cases come to light during medical examination of the survivor. Meanwhile, as part of Makkala Masotsava, programmes on online safety and cybercrime awareness will be held. Further, the CWC has got in touch with several counsellor groups and psychiatrists to help students,” Renni said.
He also observed that in a few cases, smartphone technicians were the culprits. The parent would have visited a local mobile repair shop, and the data and the phone number were allegedly misused by the technician. It all begins with a chat, often not revealing the true identity, and goes to the level of sexual abuse,” he said.
Important to encrypt phone
Cyber security expert Ananth Prabhu G said, encrypting the phone is important and nearly 80% of the people do not do it. A simple step can prevent data on the phone from being misused. When the phone is handed over to a service centre for repair and it is not encrypted, it means that the customer is giving access to all the data including public, private and highly confidential ones. “Data is the new oil and there have been several instances of blackmail and sextortion being reported after a phone was given for repair. Also, it is highly recommended to read the IT Act,” he said.